Pedestrians no longer have their own bridge across the Colorado River in Glenwood Springs. The popular mode of travel for getting from one side of town to the other is now a walkway, next to four lanes of traffic. Tourists and visitors appear to be embracing the new temporary connection.
On one side of the old Grand Avenue Bridge, construction workers are standing in what looks like soft concrete. They’re smack in the middle of Glenwood Springs, next to shops and restaurants.
“That is major utility replacement, within this project that we’re doing as a part of the bridge,” explained Tom Newland, spokesman for the bridge replacement effort. “We need to rework [those utilities] between 7 and 8th Street, and replace them with new upgraded utility pipes.”
That work will continue through Memorial Day, in preparation for a new pedestrian bridge. The old one was dismantled last week and mostly removed. A new pedestrian bridge won’t be in place until next March.
In the meantime, a temporary walkway is tacked onto the side of the to-be-replaced vehicle bridge. Walking from downtown to the north side of Glenwood is extremely popular for locals and tourists. And they appear to be warming up to the new connection.
The walkway feels like a construction zone, with plywood separating pedestrians from four lanes of traffic. The bridge bounces up and down as semi trucks pass by.
“If you were going to Disneyland or Disney World, you’d pay extra for this ride,” exclaimed a man named Al. He’s a longtime Glenwood Springs resident, and declined to give his last name. Al strolled across the walkway on a recent rainy morning.
Like many others, Al and his wife noticed this temporary connection is an easy way to see construction on the new vehicle bridge.
“We’ve watched them put steel girders underneath this and secure it properly,” he said. “We always come over and check out the progress of what’s going gone here. We’re members of the club across the highway and there’s always something new going on."
Marianne Virgilli is president of the Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association.
“Frankly, we did not think the construction would kick in as quickly as it did,” she said.
She said she’s noticed the popularity of the walkway and its vantage point for keeping an eye on the construction across the entire project.
“I think everyone’s surprised at how quick CDOT and the contractors, what an impact they’re making already, how much work is being done,” she said on Tuesday.
At two months in, the $125 million effort is running on time.
