Major Phase Of 6th Avenue Bridge Reconstruction Begins
DENVER (CBS4) - A major phase of the rebuilding of the 6th Avenue bridge starts this week
The phase begins with lane closures along 6th Avenue at Federal Boulevard and on Federal between 2nd and 8th avenues.
While workers pour cement on the new Federal overpass, the Colorado Department of Transportation will close lanes of 6th Avenue from 7 p.m. Monday to 5:30 a.m. Tuesday. Also starting Monday evening CDOT will shut down the westbound 6th Avenue exit at Lowell and Perry. That exit will be closed for 3 months as crews work to fully rebuild the off-ramp.
"So what that means is that folks in that neighborhood for the next 3 months are going to have to use Sheridan or Federal Boulevard to exit U.S. 6 to get to their destinations," Emily Wilfong with CDOT said.
It's something Robert Lee and his wife Margarita Gomez don't mind.
"The majority of people who use that ramp don't live in this neighborhood," Gomez said.
Their home is just two houses off the Lowell exit. They say the area is plagued by speeding drivers who get off the highway for a shortcut, making it a dangerous place for their grandchildren and neighborhood children.
"We do have a lot of kids around, and man they just drive crazy coming down through here," Lee said.
"The speed limit coming off the ramp is 25 and they come off the ramp sometimes going 40 to 60 miles an hour," Gomez said. "We've seen a car come off right there and almost go into that house because they lost control."
Wilfong says the new ramp design aims to avoid some of those problems.
"There's going to be a lot of modifications to make it a better and safer ramp for people to get off," she said.
While the bridge is being completed Monday night there will be at least one lane of traffic open at all times in both directions of 6th Avenue. However, CDOT recommends using an alternate route to avoid the congestion all together.
