BOULDER, Colo. — The Colorado Highway 119 Boulder Canyon permanent flood repair project is complete after two and a half years of construction.
The project spanned from Boulder to Nederland to repair damage from the 2013 floods.
Flood waters saturated the area in September 2013, causing numerous material slides, ditch damage and erosion to the roadway embankment. The floods also washed out the road in several places. Large amounts of debris that fell into the creek led to redirected water flows, which further contributed to erosion of the channel banks, undermining the highway.
Altogether, the project included:
- 13 miles of repaved highway
- 2 miles of entirely redesigned and reconstructed highway
- Rock blasting to widen roadway in areas where highway was washed out
- Rock stabilization to prevent rock slides
- Cleaned, replaced or added culverts to convey stormwater drainage under the highway
- New highway directional and safety signage
- Removal of materials placed during emergency repairs
- Repaired slopes where material failed in the storm
- Re-established native grass seed and erosion control to slopes that were disturbed during emergency recovery work
- New, more effective rumble strips
- Concrete islands to improve the roundabout in Nederland
- 3,500 feet of trail extension in partnership with Boulder County