An emergency bridge repair was completed Friday near the DoubleTree Hotel intersection in Durango. But road crews must return at a later date to make the fixes permanent, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.
CDOT issued a news release at 5:19 p.m. Thursday saying the emergency repair would be done from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Friday, with work possibly extending into Saturday. Drivers were warned to expect significant delays and to look for alternative routes, if possible.
But work did not begin until about 9 a.m., and crews were done by 3 p.m., said Lisa Schwantes, spokeswoman with CDOT. No major traffic backups were reported, she said.
The bridge crosses the Animas River and feeds into one of the busiest intersections on the Western Slope with about 30,000 traffic movements on average per day.
Maintenance crews noticed a problem with an expansion joint on the east side of the bridge between the approach and the bridge structure. The expansion joint expands and contracts as necessary to maintain a seamless surface between the road and the bridge.
“We just wanted to get on top of it as soon as we could,” Schwantes said.
CDOT crews laid down six 1-inch steel plates that are 5 feet by 10 feet in size on Friday. They also laid down asphalt around the plates to make it a smooth surface. It is a temporary fix until the expansion joint can be replaced.
CDOT has ordered rapid-set concrete mix to complete the permanent fix, but because of supply-chain issues, the highway department has not yet received its order, Schwantes said.
The rapid-set concrete sets in four hours versus 24 hours, she said. As part of the permanent fix, CDOT will remove the steel plates and install a new expansion joint.
“The permanent fix will probably take two to three days to do,” she said.
No date has been scheduled.
shane@durangoherald.com
