The Colorado Department of Transportation today closed the bridge that takes East 104th Avenue over the South Platte River after engineers discovered significant deterioration of concrete on key portions of the structure.
The bridge is between Colorado Boulevard and U.S. 85 on 104th and through traffic will be detoured on Colorado to East 88th and on U.S. 85 and Interstate 76 to 88th, said CDOT spokeswoman Mindy Crane.
The bridge typically handles about 16,000 vehicles a day.
The structure has carried a sufficiency rating of 49 on a scale of 1 to 100, which tips it slightly over into the poor category and ranks it among the state bridges that are in need of replacement.
But in a recent inspection that was part of a Federal Highway Administration audit of CDOT’s bridge inspection process, engineers found a rapid deterioration that would have lowered the rating significantly, Crane said.
“We’re closing it for the safety of the traveling public,” she said of shutdown for emergency repairs.
Local traffic will be allowed up to the bridge, but no vehicles will be able to cross the span until the damaged concrete can be removed and replaced, according to CDOT.
Repairs are expected to begin in about three weeks after the agency hires a contractor and the fix may take up to two weeks to complete, Crane said.
