LYONS — A key mountain corridor was opened partially Monday to mark the anniversary of the , inviting ceremonial talk from state and local officials and sighs of relief from those who rely on U.S. 36 almost daily.
“There’s an unofficial coalition of towns and cities that depend on U.S. 36 since it is one of the big entryways to Rocky Mountain National Park,” Lyons Mayor John O’Brien said.
“This road is not just important to us in Lyons but to a lot of people in this region.”
Colorado Department of Transportation officials said Monday there are no more huge delays scheduled on U.S. 36 between Lyons and Estes Park because of flood-related reconstruction.
Although there will be some slowdowns because of lane reductions, no weekend construction is planned.
U.S. 36 between Lyons and Estes Park endured heavy damage during the floods, which wiped out whole sections of the 12-mile roadway.
Because the highway is a key route for residents and tourists, CDOT officials made it a top priority for a permanent makeover.
CDOT also targeted that stretch of U.S. 36 because planners could concentrate on putting more space between the roadway and the St. Vrain River.
Helping CDOT was Central Federal Lanes, which designs and builds highways through national forests.
U.S. 36 will also serve as a primary detour route during permanent repairs to Colorado 7 from Lyons to Estes Park via Allenspark and U.S. 34 from Loveland to Estes Park.
In all, CDOT still faces 26 projects in need of permanent repairs, said Johnny Olson, who is heading CDOT’s flood work.
“This is going to take a lot of time,” said Olson, who estimates CDOT should be done with state roads in three years.
U.S. 36, Olson added, is a prime example of how a roadway can be upgraded to better survive another giant flood.
Crews shifted the roadway away from the river channel 5 to 50 feet — an average of 20 feet — by removing portions of the existing mountainside. Parts of the rock generated from blasting portions of the mountain were used to stabilize and protect the slopes near the river to reduce effects of future runoff and flooding, Olson said.
Leftover materials have been donated to local agencies, towns and counties to help with their repair efforts.
Boulder County Commissioner Elise Jones said a quick confab with CDOT resulted in the agency donating about 41,000 cubic yards of dirt and gravel to help the county rebuild parts of the Longmont Dam Road area.
“It was a great example of how quickly groups worked together to rebuild our roads and make them better and more resilient,” Jones said.
Monte Whaley: 720-929-0907, mwhaley@denverpost.com or twitter.com/montewhaley
