Interstate 25 in Trinidad closed two days this week for bridge replacement at Exit 11

TRINIDAD, Colo. (KRDO) -- Trinidad usually isn't known for heavy traffic, but it was on Tuesday and will be again on Thursday as the Colorado Department of Transportation replaces a bridge on the south end of town at Exit 11.

I-25 will be closed in both directions from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m. on those days as workers install ten concrete girders; five on Tuesday and five on Thursday.

There was a sense of urgency Tuesday as crews hustled to get the girders in place before the effect of a high wind warning were felt.

"We got them in place by noon like we wanted to," an unidentified worker said. "Just in time, too. On the last girder we saw the wind moving it a bit. But everything turned out fine."

The construction site is on the south end of Trinidad and 11 miles north of the Colorado/New Mexico State line.

CDOT started the $12.6 million project last summer and expects to finish it by the end of this year.

The new bridge will be wider and have roundabouts at both ends to increase driver safety and improve traffic flow in and out of adjacent businesses and nearby Fishers Peak State Park.

"For anyone who's used Exit 11 and tried to go into the hotels or the restaurants or the convenience store there in the area, there were some issues with traffic flow," said CDOT spokeswoman Michelle Peulen. "So we're going to have some roundabouts at the top of the bridge, which will significantly improve access to those businesses."

Traffic is being rerouted around the work zone via the I-25 entrance and exit ramps, so drivers should be prepared for traffic delays.

There will be other impacts and temporary closures in the area as the project continues.

One impact is to a convenience store that had to refill its gas tanks twice because of so many customers stopping in during traffic jams.

"We've got a lot of dead time in the store, so we are financially impacted by it," said manager Jonathan Smith. "And when they do come in, they're just tearing the store up all at once, buying everything. We got a truck of supplies this morning and they're almost gone."

Some drivers knew about the closure but others didn't.

"I'm a lifetime resident and this is the worse traffic I've seen here," said Steve Robinson. "But we can put up with it for a few days."