Down It Goes! Demolition Of The I-70 Viaduct Begins
DENVER (CBS4) - In the Elyria-Swansea neighborhood, all eyes were open Saturday as the Colorado Department of Transportation spent the day taking down the Interstate 70 viaduct.
"It's a new day for I-70," said one resident who sat watching the demolition, but didn't want to be identified. "This bridge was old. It needed to come down."
He says it is time for a change and is looking forward to the future.
"It's going to be great for the neighborhood."
This is part of the Central 70 project called the Mile High Shift. CDOT closed the highway between Washington Boulevard and Interstate 270 Friday so they could demolish the old viaduct and shift traffic to the new trench they've been digging.
The highway will reopen Monday morning at 5 a.m.
It's bitter sweet for neighbors to watch the bridge that stood for 57 years come down.
"I'm going to miss it, you know? I loved watching the traffic pass," said one neighbor.
Still he says he's ready for change and for the project to be over. When asked what he is looking forward to the most he said, "No dust!"
To minimize that dust, CDOT and their construction partners are using gigantic misters to keep everything wet and dust from blowing. The demolition is expected to continue for five more months.
