Flatiron Construction low bidder to repair rockslide damage in Glenwood Canyon

By Kevin Flynn
Inside-Lane.com

Flatiron Construction is the apparent low bidder for repairs to the Interstate 70 viaduct in Glenwood Canyon, which was heavily damaged in the Monday rockslide, the Colorado Department of Transportation announced.

CDOT is using its emergency contracting procedures to get the contract out quickly and the final repairs done. Department engineers had begun working on this Monday afternoon, before the biggest boulders littering the roadway were blasted apart for removal.

The contract is for $860,417, with Flatiron committing to completion in 55 days. But the total cost of the rockslide cleanup and repairs will be much higher – Flatiron’s contract is in addition to CDOT’s costs for the emergency response, blasting and temporary maintenance needed to open the highway and to keep it opened. Those figures have not yet been totaled.

“This happened on Monday, but we were able to get the work designed and out for competitive bidding by Tuesday, advertising the work to contractors on Wednesday,” CDOT Program Engineer Joe Elsen said on Friday. “We opened bids at 2 p.m.PM today and now, with an apparent low bidder identified, we are all very happy to begin the repairs.

“I want to thank Roland Wagner, CDOT’s resident engineer in Glenwood Springs, for putting this project together in record time,” Elsen said.

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Up to 20 boulders, one as heavy as 66 tons, fell down from the north canyon wall shortly after midnight Sunday. It forced a four-day closure of I-70 between Dotsero and Glenwood Springs.

CDOT has restored traffic through a two-lane configuration – one lane on the outside of the eastbound carriageway and one on the outside of the wetsbound side. In the center, at least two large holes were punctured into the bridge deck, one 10 by 20 feet and the other six by six feet.

There are a half a dozen other holes in the bridge deck and areas where rocks are embedded in the surface. CDOT says most of these repair areas measure about five by five feet. Rocks were scattered over 300 feet of the roadway.

The slide also damaged about 120 feet of steel guard rail over three segments and 100 feet of concrete median barrier.

“The damage is similar to that resulting from the 2004 rockfall incident,” CDOT said in a statement, referring to the Thanksgiving morning 2004 rockslide that closed the highway for 31 hours and resulted in a two-month construction repair project

The speed limit has been lowered to 40 mph from the usual 50 mph through the damage zone. Contrary to other reports, the normal speed limit in the canyon is not 55, but 50 – one of the few locations nationwide on the interstate highway system with a limit below the standard.

CDOT said Flatiron’s work hours will most likely be Monday through Friday, but some weekend work may occur depending on weather and project schedule. Details on starting time, work hours and potential lane closures will be released when they are available, CDOT said.