Segment of U.S. 24 closed for months for Rainbow Fall bridge repairs
The Colorado Department of Transportation is closing a short segment of U.S. 24 Business. The closure started Monday, March 21.
Manitou Avenue will be closed between the off-ramp from U.S. 24 to the roundabout at Serpentine Drive.
“That is the gateway out to the west, so everyone has to turn around come back into town and find another route to get out,” said Michelle Williams, a Manitou Springs resident.
Williams lives less than a block from the closure.
“It affects me because I can’t get near my house if I need to go anywhere. I need to allow about a half hour to get out of Manitou,” said Williams.
It’s an added wait time but CDOT says it’s necessary to make repairs to the Rainbow Falls bridge.
“The majority of the damage was created by the flooding in 2013. We’re finally able to get funding for it and find a contractor able to do it,” said Bob Wilson, CDOT spokesman.
It is a $1.9 million project. The bridge repairs include fixing the existing concrete deck surface, installing new bridge rails, repairing damaged guard rails, and reinforcing the underlying floor beams, arches, columns and piers.
CDOT says this is the best time of the year to complete a project like this because traffic numbers are the lowest.
“The sooner we get in, the sooner we can get out. Hopefully we can have that roadway reopened in time for at least part of the tourist season,” said Wilson.
People who run businesses that thrive on tourist season are worried.
“Half of our customers are walk ups. They drive up, they see it and they come in. So if they’re not going to be driving by, we could lose 20 to 30 percent of our customers,” said Jesse Youngwerth, manager of Pikes Peak Ziplines.
Drivers wanting to access Manitou Springs from Highway 24 will need to use Serpentine Drive, Washington Avenue or the Manitou Avenue interchange. Although there are alternate routes, Williams worry it’ll cause big backups.
“Traffic is just going to pile up on the weekends,” said Williams.
CDOT expects to complete the project by the end of June, but it could go longer if damage to the bridge is worse than first expected.
