Bridge Project Causes Delays, Miles-Long Backups
GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo. (CBS4)- A bridge linking thousands of people on the Western Slope closed at 12:01 a.m. Monday and the first morning commute was crowded and delayed.
The Grand Avenue Bridge in Glenwood Springs is being removed and replaced.
That has displaced thousands of commuters onto a two-lane detour with the backups stretching for miles.
According to the Colorado Department of Transportation, "The Grand Avenue Bridge (GAB) project is the largest infrastructure project on the Western Slope in 25 years. Now in phase three of this five-phase project, crews are working to replace the more than five-decade-old traffic bridge in Glenwood Springs."
For months, planners warned of the delays the closure would cause. They urged drivers to carpool, ride bicycles and take public transport. Schools altered routes for buses. Some people who work in places like Aspen were offered temporary housing so they wouldn't have to clog the roads.
Despite this, delays backed up for miles and totaled more than an hour.
A critical cardiac care patient in an ambulance was escorted by state patrol to the hospital.
Glenwood Springs officials labeled the issue a "Local Emergency" weeks before the closure.
Engineers said if 30 percent of the normal drivers who use the area didn't get off the road voluntarily, it would add possible hours to the commute. It appears some of that is now a reality for hundreds of drivers.
LINK: CDOT GAB Project, Detour Information
Matt Kroschel covers news throughout Colorado working from the CBS4 Mountain Newsroom. Send story ideas to mrkroschel@cbs.com and connect with him on Twitter @Matt_Kroschel.