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Eastbound Lanes Of Highway 36 Expected To Fully Reopen Friday Morning

(CBS4) -- After months of repairs, two eastbound lanes of Highway 36 reopened on Thursday and the remaining lanes are expected to reopen Friday morning. In July, part of the retaining wall failed on the eastbound side, between Wadsworth Boulevard and 104th-Church Ranch Boulevard. The wet, clay soil began to sink and the eastbound lanes cracked. Within days, a 300-foot section of the lanes collapsed.

US 36 Highway 36 collapses in Westminster 12VO_frame_1050
Monday, July 15 (credit: CBS)
highway 36 sinkhole
(credit: CBS)

Eventually all the traffic was moved to the westbound lanes.

The Colorado Department of Transportation used more than 100 concrete caissons, drilled down to the bedrock, and  thousands of blocks of geofoam to rebuild the slope.

US 36 foam blocks westminster
Crews prepare to install thousands of blocks of geo foam to repair the U.S. 36 collapse in Westminster at Church Ranch Road. (credit: CBS)

"Geofoam is lightweight, but very strong, and reduces stress and pressure to underlying soil," CDOT stated. "It safely supports large volume highways and improves slope stability."

The geofoam was topped with a load distribution slab, also made of concrete, and a layer of crushed stone, then covered with concrete pavement.

US 36 9/19/19
(credit: CBS)

On Thursday morning, two eastbound lanes reopened.

highway 36 sinkhole
Thursday, Oct. 3, 2019 (credit: CBS)

However, the traffic configuration was still a little different because the bike path is close to the highway and construction zone. The Colorado Department of Transportation urged drivers and cyclists to take it slow and be cautious.

There will be closures in the area Thursday night as CDOT prepares to open the rest of the lanes Friday morning.

 

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