YOUR AD HERE »

Highway 9 improvement project gets under way

Hank Shell
hshell@skyhidailynews.com
An artist's rendering of one of five wildlife underpasses that will be built during the next two years as part of CDOT's safety improvements to Colorado Highway 9 from Green Mountain Reservoir north to Kremmling.
File photo |

Normal Work Hours

7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday-Friday

Some Saturday work will be required

Phase one of the State Highway 9 safety project began on April 1, with the contractor beginning to mobilize equipment this week, a CDOT spokeswoman said.

The first phase of the project, scheduled to last from April to November 2015, will entail culvert replacement and repair, highway realignment and the installation of four wildlife crossings from milepost 131 to 137 immediately south of Kremmling.

There will be several nighttime closures during the project primarily for culvert work, said Tracy Trulove with CDOT. There are approximately 80 culverts along the 11-mile stretch of SH-9 that need work.



There will be a 30-minute opening during nighttime closures that will generally begin around 2:30 a.m. to allow commuters to pass through, she said.

CDOT will issue notices of night closures one to two weeks in advance, she said.



When the road is open, motorists can expect up to 45-minute delays, which include the 35 mile per hour speed limit through the project area, Trulove said.

“The engineers are really going to hold (the contractor) to 45 minutes total through the project,” Trulove said.

Additionally, the road will repaved before the winter 2015/2016 winter shutdown, Trulove said

Phase two of the project is scheduled to begin in April 2016.

That phase will include highway realignment and the installation of three wildlife crossings between mileposts 126 and 131.

Currently, Kirkland Construction LLLP hopes to finish the project in November 2016, though it’s possible construction could extend into 2017, Trulove said.

The SH-9 safety improvements project will among other improvements add seven above and below grade wildlife crossings to reduce collisions along SH-9 south of Kremmling.

The stretch of SH-9 between the Colorado River and Summit County is notorious for wildlife collisions.

Between 2006 and 2009, the stretch of road saw 103 collisions between vehicles and wildlife, including three fatalities, according to CDOT data.

The $39.2 million project is funded by a public-private partnership between CDOT, Grand County and Blue Valley Ranch.


Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism

The Sky-Hi News strives to deliver powerful stories that spark emotion and focus on the place we live.

Over the past year, contributions from readers like you helped to fund some of our most important reporting, including coverage of the East Troublesome Fire.

If you value local journalism, consider making a contribution to our newsroom in support of the work we do.