U.S. 50 construction: 10 miles of new asphalt underway in Pueblo County

PUEBLO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- Many drivers are pleasantly surprised to see paving activity along ten miles of U.S. 50 from Purcell Boulevard in Pueblo West to the Fremont County line.

The $15 million project by the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) started a month ago and should be finished in late summer or early fall.

Crews will apply new asphalt to the shoulders and traffic lanes in both directions.

CDOT said that it's the first repaving of that highway segment in 24 years.

Crews will repave the more heavily traveled stretch between Purcell and McCulloch boulevards at night, when there's less traffic.

"We haven't started any of those operations yet because we have to have a certain temperature for us to be able to put our pavement down," said Patrick Vigil, a resident engineer for CDOT. "We'll be doing that at a later date."

The project includes other tasks, such as repairing two bridges, replacing damaged guardrails, and updating lane markings and signs.

Drivers should be aware of single-lane traffic around the paving activity, and CDOT advises slowing down and keeping the safety of workers in mind.

CDOT is currently designing a future project that will repave US 50 an additional ten miles west, from the Fremont County line to Cañon City.