Delivered on an accelerated schedule, the new 178-ft-long bridge supported on 13 precast pretensioned box girders alleviates long-standing congestion issues caused by the previous at-grade crossing and a nearby train switching yard. The project also included five lane miles of new roadway, 225,200 cu yd of embankment, 244,000 cu yd of reinforcing steel, more than 1,400 sq yd of rockery walls, a multiuse path with a 150-ft-long pedestrian underpass and a new intersection to accommodate a future street extension.
This is Fort Collins’ first overpass above a railroad, and the new structure shifts heavy traffic away from a historically disadvantaged neighborhood, improves response times for emergency responders and opens the door to economic and residential growth in the city’s northeastern section.