IDAHO SPRINGS — The contractor being blamed for a delay in the construction of a key bridge into downtown Idaho Springs is helping fund a $100,000 effort to promote the city during the holidays.
Mountain Corridor Constructors said it would make the donation when it realized the over Interstate 70 at Exit 240 would not be finished on time, said Emily Wilfong, spokeswoman for the Colorado Department of Transportation.
The bridge was supposed to be finished in mid-November but now is scheduled for mid-January.
“What is different here is that the contractor decided to dip into their out-of-pocket funding to promote the town,” Wilfong said.
CDOT’s efforts include signs along I-70 informing eastbound motorists that Idaho Springs can be accessed by Exit 239, social media updates, digital and print advertising, weekly e-mail updates to media and 20,000 outreach fliers.
Some residents at a town hall meeting last week said any money should be spent on compensating downtown businesses for the projected plunge in holiday revenue.
But Idaho Springs Mayor Michael Hillman said any compensation package would have to hinge on solid reporting of lost revenue and probably isn’t practical.
“There would have to be a lot of trust that everyone is reporting good numbers,” Hillman said. “I just don’t think physically it could be done.”
CDOT also will install holiday lights on the I-70 side of buildings along Miner Street. “I think they are making every effort to make it right,” Hillman said.
Mountain Corridor Constructors was replacing the Colorado 103 bridge as part of a $72 million project to build an eastbound I-70 toll lane.
During early work, crews discovered an isolated pocket of groundwater contaminated with high levels of lead and iron and had to properly remove it before construction could commence. CDOT says the bridge won’t be finished until the week of Jan. 12.
Monte Whaley: 720-929-0907, mwhaley@denverpost.com or twitter.com/montewhaley
