CDOT finds more damaged concrete panels in Penrose repair project; completion schedule extended by a month

FREMONT COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- What's been a loud, dusty spring and summer in the town of Penrose will continue into early fall.

The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) revealed that crews found more damaged concrete panels on Highway 115 since their original assessment in April and May.

Wayne Pittman, a CDOT engineer, said crews found more than 200 additional panels needing repair or replacement, bringing the total to over 500.

"In the original assessment, southbound was the worst, and northbound was a little bit better," he explained. "The surface was kind of tricking them on their initial assessment."

Pittman said that the average panel depth is eight inches, and crews first expected to perform surface treatments that would remove a maximum of three inches.

"But once they got down to that depth, they decided they needed to go full-depth, because the concrete was just in that bad of shape," he said.

Crews are currently sawing panels, sealing panel joints, and smoothing the pavement.

Work was supposed to end this month, but has now been extended until late next month.

CDOT had to secure $200,000 in additional funding to cover the extra construction required, raising the project's total cost to nearly $4 million.

It appears that both northbound lanes of Highway 115 through Penrose are now open, while one southbound lane remains closed.

Pittman said that the project should extend the life of the pavement by 20 years, after which it will need a full replacement of the panels.

The pavement's age and condition, constant heavy truck traffic, and groundwater infiltration are what led to the CDOT project.