Glenwood Canyon bike path closing for week

The Colorado Department of Transportation will repair two sections of the I-70 Glenwood Canyon concrete bike path, effectively closing the path just east of Hanging Lake Tunnel for six full days — from 7 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 30, through about 9 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 5.

The work will repair two sections where concrete has settled, causing a lift in the connecting slab’s edge. One work area is located near the Hanging Lake rest area and the other further east near highway mile marker 127. The damaged area lies on a path curve, making it difficult to anticipate for cyclists and roller-bladers.

“This is a popular path and we do regret the inconvenience this closure will cause—but we have to take care of this safety hazard for our cycling and skating customers,” CDOT Maintenance Supervisor Kane Schneider said. “We’ve posted warning signs and have applied a cold asphalt patch to the section, but this temporary fix requires daily monitoring and needs to be repaired permanently.”

As locals will remember, heavy run-off in the spring of 2011 caused major damage to the path, which was under several feet of water through the canyon. The path was fully repaired and opened early for the season in March 2012 — some settling of concrete slabs was not unexpected. This section of the path is monitored and maintained by CDOT patrol crews stationed at the Hanging Lake rest area.

The work area lies on one of the path’s elevated sections east of both the I-70 Hanging Lake Tunnel and also a path tunnel. The full closure of the path is necessary on this bridge and will also allow time for the new concrete to cure. The public can still use the path on either side of the closure point (open on each end from either Glenwood Springs on the west and Bair Ranch rest area on the east). But no through travel will be possible starting October 30 at 7 a.m. through November 5 around 9 a.m. CDOT and the contractor will make every effort to accomplish the work and open the path earlier – customers can check the status on CDOT’s traveler information site www.cotrip.org under Road Work Alerts.

CDOT has contracted Mueller Construction to complete the repairs for an approximate cost of $24,000.

CDOT closes the Glenwood Canyon Bike Path each winter—sometimes as late as early December—when winter maintenance activities on I-70 above can create unsafe conditions on the path. The path typically opens in April, as weather permits.