State transportation officials were forced to shut several lanes of southbound Interstate 25 at South Santa Fe Drive for several hours this afternoon as crews made emergency repairs to the overpass.
Colorado Department of Transportation employees also shut the entrance ramp from southbound Santa Fe to southbound I-25 so the repairs could be made, said CDOT spokeswoman Mindy Crane.
CDOT is in the midst of a $3.4 million summer project to repave I-25 between Santa Fe Drive and West Sixth Avenue as well as repair expansion joints and bridge piers on elevated portions of the highway.
Most of the work is being done at night.
Today’s 2 p.m. lane shutdowns occurred because temporary steel plates that had been put down loosened and were in danger of damaging cars, Crane said.
Workers reattached the plates with epoxy. Permanent expansion-joint repairs to the overpass still must be made, Crane said.
All lanes were open by 4:35 p.m., according to CDOT.
“We will be looking to figure out a better solution for fastening the plates,” Crane said.
