Major paving operations will start in early August to repair US Highway 40 over Berthoud Pass, which was significantly damaged after one of the most intense winters in years.
The Colorado Department of Transportation told Denver7 on Friday that a 10-mile section of Berthoud Pass will be milled and paved at a two-inch depth between mile point 233 and 243 — or between Winter Park Drive on the north side and the first switchback near Berthoud Falls Cascades on the south side. CDOT has contracted with United Companies/APC Southern Construction for this project.
Currently, crews are crushing aggregate materials to make the base for the asphalt that will be used for paving, CDOT said.
The project's scheduled completion date is in October.
The Follow Up
CDOT set to repair 12 roads, including pothole-riddled US 40 over Berthoud Pass
CDOT Executive Director Lew said this past winter was one of the "most severe" in recent decades.
“US Highway 40 on the north side of Berthoud Pass, near Winter Park, has experienced badly deteriorating conditions since mid-winter and maintenance crews have been making numerous temporary fixes since the seasonal freeze-thaw cycle began," she said Wednesday. "However, it is important that we invest in more permanent repairs to this viral roadway, which is why this project is a priority for the Department’s broader effort to address the impacts of this winter. We appreciate the hard work of the CDOT team to implement interim repairs and identify where more extensive ones were needed.”
Berthoud Pass is one of 12 stretches of roadway that will undergo repairs after damage from heavy snow and cold temperatures. CDOT requested and received $25 million from the Colorado Transportation Commission for these issues.
About $17.6 million will go to two emergency projects and $7.4 million will be managed by CDOT's Division of Maintenance and Operations to reimburse local maintenance teams, CDOT said.
The north side of Highway 40 on Berthoud Pass is one of the two emergency projects — and $11 million will go toward those repairs. In the spring, crews had worked on temporary fixes during the freeze-thaw cycles, but the roads still deteriorated, CDOT said.
In mid-May, the owner of a towing company in nearby Fraser said calls for flat tires along Berthoud Pass were through the roof, describing it as a very dangerous situation.
Denver7 has since received multiple emails from drivers frustrated with the state of the road. They have called it "dangerous" and "a complete disaster." Drivers who use the road often said it was the worst they have ever seen.
