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Section Of Highway 34 Will Reopen For Holiday Weekend

LARIMER COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4)- A three-mile section of Highway 34 through the Big Thompson Canyon will reopen for the Thanksgiving holiday. The stretch of highway has been closed since mid-October.

US 34 will close again at 7 p.m. Sunday between mile markers 77 and 80 until May 2017.

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Copter4 flew over Highway 34 in the Big Thompson Canyon after it was damaged in the Sept. 2013 floods. (credit: CBS)

During the closure, the Colorado Department of Transportation crews will remove 200,000 cubic yards of rock from the canyon for the much-needed upgrade.

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(credit: CBS)

The area sustained significant damage in both the 1976 and 2013 floods.

CDOT has made temporary repairs, but says new construction will provide a permanent fix.

Permits have been issued to people living in the Big Thompson Canyon allowing them to follow pilot cars through the three-mile work zone between the hours of 6 and 8:30 a.m. and 4 and 7 p.m.

During the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, drivers will follow traffic signals and flaggers' instructions to make their way through the single lane section. Drivers should be prepared to stop for 10 minute increments.

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(credit: CBS)

Until then, drivers can use Colorado Highway 66 and US Highway 36 for travel from Loveland to Estes Park.

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