State transportation officials will install “traction enhancement” materials on the roadbed of two busy bridges in metro Denver to help motorists during inclement weather this winter.
On the flyover bridge from northbound Parker Road to southbound Interstate 225, the Colorado Department of Transportation will lay down an epoxy material containing small porous stones that will hold liquid de-icer longer and provide better traction, said Roy Smith, CDOT’s deputy maintenance superintendent in the Denver area.
At a briefing Thursday on CDOT’s winter maintenance plans, Smith said the flyover from southbound Interstate 25 to northbound I-225 will get a similar epoxy overlay to help seal the bridge deck from seepage of anti-icing chlorides. Chips of hard flint-like stone will be embedded in the epoxy to improve traction.
Later this month, CDOT will close select lanes on the two bridges over three consecutive weekends so the epoxy-and-stone overlays can be applied.
CDOT is testing the traction materials because drivers frequently lose control, even at low speed, when ice forms on the lanes of the banked, curved flyovers, Smith said.
The agency plans to install automatic de-icing systems on the I-25/I-225 flyover and the tunnel from southbound I-225 to southbound I-25, but they may not be usable until the 2010-11 winter driving season.
The automated systems spray liquid de-icer on the roadways when pavement temperature dips to 32 degrees Fahrenheit, CDOT said.
In metro Denver, the agency will have 245 employees and 131 pieces of equipment available for clearing area roadways of snow and ice during the upcoming winter driving season.
CDOT teams will focus first on primary roads, including all the interstate highways, C-470, and U.S. highways 6, 36, 85 and 285.
“The primaries are where we will concentrate our efforts during heavy storms,” Smith said. Then, “we will work our way out to the secondaries.”Jeffrey Leib: 303-954-1645 or jleib@denverpost.com
