Daily News Briefs, July 15, 2019

This is a Subscribers-Only area. If you are a subscriber, please login. If not...

Become a Subscriber Today »

Roadway Crack Closes US 36 Segment Near Denver

The Denver Post reports, a cracked segment of US 36 roadway forced Colorado DOT to announce an indeterminate closure of the highway’s eastbound lanes, including the tolled express lane, northwest of Denver. (US 36 is a heavily traveled commuter route between Denver and Boulder.) According to the article, the road “is collapsing at a bridge approach 45 feet above ground, concrete slumping away off a widening chasm as fast as an inch per hour with a 5-foot drop over the weekend.” A “weakening of saturated clay under a 5-year-old stretch of U.S. 36 adjacent to a former reservoir” is the cause of the damage, according to the article.

Colorado Colorado Department of Transportation Denver CO Metro Region Highway and Bridge Safety (Including COVID-19 Impacts) Plenary Roads Denver

Top


WA Post Spotlights I-66 Express Construction Progress

The Washington Post provides a detailed update on I-66 express lanes construction progress in metro DC. The newspaper reports that VDOT’s Transform 66 Outside the Beltway project “is among the largest and most expensive transportation undertakings in the state — an investment of $3.7 billion, according to official figures. It’s being built through a public-private partnership and Express Mobility Partners, and the consortium of investors financing it will also maintain and operate the toll lanes under a 50-year concession.”

Express Lanes I-66 Express Mobility Partners Virginia Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) Washington (DC) Metro Region

Top


West Virginia Turnpike Reports Record-Breaking July 4 Holiday Toll Revenue

Charleston Gazette-Mail reports, “Following the doubling of the tolls on the West Virginia Turnpike beginning Jan. 15, the West Virginia Parkways Authority reported it brought in an all-time record amount of toll booth revenue,” approximately $5.6 million, “during the peak 11-day travel period surrounding the July Fourth holiday.” The article notes, however, that transactions fell by about 1.7 percent from the total recorded during the 2018 holiday period. A turnpike official tells the newspaper that occasional interchange back-ups caused the authority to open E-ZPass-only lanes to all motorists from time-to-time.

West Virginia West Virginia Parkways Authority (West Virginia Turnpike)

Top