Repairs on the Junction Creek Bridge on U.S. Highway 550 between 22nd and 24th streets could cost in the realm of $50,000, with work to begin potentially by mid-April.
Colorado Department of Transportation officials said an inspection team visited the site Friday, and a written report, which will hold further details about the extent of the project, is pending.
“It’s a simple design, and we’ll make an assessment after we receive the report,” said Ed Archuleta, a program engineer for CDOT.
While replacing a concrete panel above the bridge last week, CDOT crews discovered the bridge deck, or surface, was thinner than they expected. The bridge is structurally adequate and not a risk to motorists, but the design and how the bridge was repaired and added to over the years wasn’t uniform, Archuleta said.
“That structure predates 1962,” Archuleta said. “In 1962, it was widened 12 feet on the east side and 10 feet on the west side. In the early 1990s, a concrete pavement was put over the top.”
In coming weeks, CDOT will repair a section of the southbound lane that is 20 feet wide and a section of the northbound lane that is 12 feet wide.
The cost of the bridge repair, roughly estimating, will be $50,000, Archuleta said.
A $6 million rehabilitation and surface treatment project on U.S. highways 550 and 160 began March 6 and has cluttered Durango’s main throughways in recent weeks with road workers and traffic cones.
Project boundaries are between Tech Center Drive on Highway 160 in west Durango and north Main Avenue at the Animas View Drive intersection.
A Memorial Day completion date is expected for the bridge and project.
Project updates can be found at codot.gov/projects.
