I-70 bridge project will impact traffic

A bridge replacement project that broke ground Monday will affect traffic on Interstate 70 through west metro Denver through late next year.

The $9.3 million project will replace the eastbound and westbound I-70 bridges over West 32nd Avenue in Wheat Ridge, both more than 50 years old, with new spans that will last 75 years.

The Colorado Department of Transportation’s project website says prime contractor Kraemer North America will build wider spans that fill the current gap between the bridges, accommodating wider shoulder lanes and other safety components.

Through late 2023, drivers passing through the half-mile work zone should expect narrower lanes, lane shifts and slower speed limits, CDOT says.

Crews are expected to keep three lanes open in each direction during the day, but overnight lane closures are possible; 32nd Avenue also will have lane closures throughout the project.

CDOT says it’s planning more bridge replacements in metro Denver, including a twoyear project that will replace the I-70 spans over Harlan Street near Lakeside starting this summer.