Crews repairing rain, erosion damage on two roads in north, west El Paso County
Scott Harrison
EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — A segment of road on the El Paso/Douglas county line will remain closed through Thursday because of erosion damage caused by two heavy rainstorms in the past week, officials said Tuesday.
Dan Gerhard, a public works engineer with El Paso County, said that County Line Road — north of Monument and east of Interstate 25 — is closed between Monument Hill Road and Doewood Drive.
He explained that a road shoulder sustained minor damage a week ago and was repaired, but was damaged more extensively by more heavy rain that crews discovered on Tuesday.
“It’s starting to undermine the road,” Gerhard said. “We had three inches from a storm last week, and we keep getting more.”
A 36-inch stormwater pipe under the road has been overwhelmed by the rain, so crews will replace it with a larger, 48-inch pipe.
Gerhard said that repairs should be finished on Thursday — if the weather cooperates.
The closed road section is in a valley between two hills, and most of the traffic is coming from the east off I-25; a driveway leading to a nearby Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) substation provides traffic, especially large trucks, with adequate room to turn around.
Meanwhile, CDOT is determining the best way to repair similar damage on the right shoulder of eastbound US 24, on the bridge above Glen Road in Manitou Springs.
CDOT has placed cones around the eroded area to keep traffic away, and the highway remains open there.
The bridge is supported by a steep embankment that is susceptible to erosion; in fact, another area near the damaged spot appears to be badly eroding as well.
The coned area was part of an erosion mitigation project in Ute Pass by CDOT last month, but the work couldn’t withstand the amount of rain in the area this past week.
CDOT said that there is no danger to traffic as experts try to devise a permanent solution.