Lafayette Pipeline Completed/Castle Rock Rail Bridge/Broadway Viaduct

Lafayette's new diversion and pipeline project finishes on time after a tight schedule in an environmentally sensitive area.

Lafayette Water Project Employs Advanced Piping

The city of Lafayette has completed its new 75th Street Diversion and Pipeline, a project designed by Denver's McLaughlin Water Engineers to help offset serious drought conditions in the area.

The project was notable for its tight schedule, use of an advanced pipe technology - HOBAS centrifugally cast, fiberglass-reinforced, polymer mortar pipe - and environmentally sensitive wetland location.

The diversion and pipeline originates at Boulder Creek and brings 16 million gal. per day of raw water into the city through a 36-in.-diameter line. Approximately 1,800 acre ft of this new water supply will be stored at one of the two Goose Haven reservoirs.

The 24,000-ft pipeline is located mainly in an area dedicated to open space and mountain parks that crosses through other municipalities. In addition, there were 10 known prairie dog colonies and several bald eagle nests located along the project, both with mitigation and protection clauses. The project was put on a fast track to minimize the impact in the sensitive areas and relieve the stress on the water system caused by the drought.

The contractors that installed the majority of the piping were AISA Civil Inc. of Broomfield and B.T. Construction Inc. of Commerce City.

Lawrence Construction Working on Rail Bridge

A Colorado Department of Transportation project began in August to replace the 49-year-old Union Pacific Railroad bridge over Interstate 25 in Castle Rock.

Lawrence Construction Co. of Littleton is the contractor for the $3.7 million project, scheduled for completion in October 2005.

Work includes the removal of the current bridge, track realignment and construction of a new railroad bridge that will accommodate the future widening of I-25 to six lanes with new shoulders and an extension of the northbound on-ramp from Wolfensberger Road to improve safety. Other additions include a new drainage system, retaining walls and guardrails.

Kraemer Starts Work on Broadway Viaduct

Edward Kraemer & Sons Inc. of Castle Rock began work in September on a $21.9 million bridge replacement project carrying I-25 over Broadway. Kraemer's schedule will have the new structure open to traffic in 560 calendar days - 100 days ahead of the schedule submitted by any other contractor.

Kraemer plans to build the new twin, 12-span bridges in phases - switching southbound traffic onto the new southbound ramp - built under an earlier construction contract while the existing southbound bridge is demolished and rebuilt. Once the old structure is demolished, Kraemer will begin building the new northbound bridge in its place.

The Broadway Viaduct has been under construction since 2001. This project is the third and final phase of construction.

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