The northbound lane of the Dahlia Street bridge over Interstate 76 north of Commerce City will remain closed until early fall while crews work to repair damage from a tractor-trailer crash earlier this month.
When a tractor-trailer towing construction equipment hit the outer edge of the bridge on March 18, it caused significant damage to the girders — metal beams that support the bridge’s structure — according to a Thursday news release from the Colorado Department of Transportation.
According to the release, a northbound detour is in place:
- East on Colo. 224 (East 74th Avenue),
- North on U.S. 85,
- East on I-76, then
- West on 88th Avenue to Dahlia Street.
The bridge is open to southbound traffic, but motorists should drive with caution through the area, the release stated.
The crash, which involved the trailer and multiple vehicles, shut down both sides of the highway under the bridge temporarily while crews evaluated the damage and cleaned up spilled oil and debris.
The final still-closed lane of I-76 officially reopened Thursday morning, the release stated. The bridge is safe in its current condition with the northbound lane closed.
The Colorado Department of Transportation will continue to monitor the bridge until a contract to repair the bridge is awarded later in the spring, followed by construction.
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Updated at 10:43 a.m. Friday, March 22, 2024: This article has been updated to correct a detour street name, which was misidentified by the Colorado Department of Transportation.
