Officials to rely on experimental, better materials in upcoming bridge repair, paving on Woodmen Road in Colorado Springs
Scott Harrison
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Next week begins three months of construction on a stretch of Woodmen Road, primarily between Academy Boulevard and Interstate 25.
During a Thursday morning briefing near the Woodmen/Academy interchange, officials detailed the two upcoming projects.
The first starts Monday with repairs to the Woodmen overpass across Academy Boulevard, and to the entrance/exit ramps at the interchange.
The bridge was built in 2011 and needs resurfacing work, as well as concrete upgrades and fresh pavement markings.
Officials stated that the project should be completed within three months.
In the second project, starting next month, crews will repave a 1.5-mile segment of Woodmen between Olga Wilson Way (near the Sam’s Club) and East Rockrimmon Boulevard.
All of the work will happen overnights with an estimated completion time of three to five weeks; paving will start a month or so after the bridge repair begins.
Construction hours are from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., and at least one lane of traffic in each direction will remain open during the projects.
And in a move that will likely please many drivers, the city revealed that it will try out an experimental paving material on Woodmen.
“It’s called stone matrix asphalt (SMA),” said Corey Farkas, operations and maintenance manager. “This is a specialized asphalt that is typically utilized on highways and interstates. It gives a lot more durability and is rut-resistant to a lot of vehicles. But it’s more expensive, too.”
Information provided by officials showed that SMA ranges from $24 to $53 per ton more than traditional asphalt, but the city could save money in the long run by using SMA more frequently if it proves to be more durable on major streets.
The city also plans to upgrade the materials used to repair the overpass.
“We’re going to be replacing the joints and updating the concrete that’s been damaged,” Gayle Sturdivant, deputy public works director, explained. “But one of the main things we’ll be doing is changing the wearing surface for the bridge. It has just degraded more quickly than expected. So, we’ll be working with products that have demonstrated, in other locations around the state, to be better-performing.”
She also urged drivers to continue to visit the many local businesses.
“It may take you a little longer, but you’ll still have access,” Sturdivant said.
The repaving is part of the city’s 2C expanded paving program, which voters first approved in 2015 with a sales tax increase that they renewed for the second time last fall.
KRDO 13’s The Road Warrior first reported late last summer that the Woodmen projects would happen this year.
The targeted road section has deteriorated significantly in recent years, as officials stated that a previous repaving project used asphalt mixed with rubber from old tires.
According to officials, the method was widely used in California and Texas, but has not held up well in Colorado Springs — likely because of the high altitude, temperature extremes, and freeze-thaw cycles.
The bridge repair will cost $2.7 million and is funded by sales tax revenue from the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority; the paving is included in the annual 2C expanded paving program, funded by a voter-approved sales tax increase.
Earlier this season, crews prepared for the repaving by completing a two-block project on Woodmen between I-25 and Campus Drive.
The project rebuilt a center median and improved westbound traffic flow onto I-25.