News Release

Matterhorn Bridge Update
8/13/2012

A bridge replacement project on Matterhorn Circle over Gore Creek in Vail is currently on schedule to be completed in mid-December. The bridge is located on the south side of Interstate 70 in the Matterhorn neighborhood. Construction began on July 24. The contractor is Colorado Constructors Inc. of Denver.

Crews are currently installing supports for utility lines and removing the old bridge. Construction of the new bridge is scheduled to begin in late August. Neighborhood residents should expect periods of high noise levels during the drilling and rebuilding of the bridge.

During construction, vehicular bridge traffic is being detoured along West Gore Creek Drive for access to South Frontage Road. Traffic control is being provided throughout construction. Other impacts include bus stop closures at Matterhorn Circle and Ptarmigan. Passengers are being directed to temporary bus stops located on South Frontage Road at the West Gore Creek Drive intersection and at Donovan Park for the West Vail Red route. Bus stops for the West Vail Green route are temporarily located at Donovan Park and the Conoco station. All route times remain the same. The pedestrian bridge to Donovan Park remains open for use by pedestrians and bicyclists. Cyclists using the bridge are asked to dismount while crossing.

The contractor is authorized to work from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. The schedule has been coordinated to meet requirements for working in the Gold Medal stretch of Gore Creek as set by the Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Originally built in 1970, the Matterhorn Circle Bridge has been identified as structurally deficient and is being replaced with a longer bridge that will better handle the flows of Gore Creek during high water seasons.

The $970,000 project is being funded by a federal grant which covers 80 percent of the design and construction costs. This is the first significant bridge replacement project in Vail since construction of the Pulis Bridge on Vail Valley Drive in 1995.

For more information about the project, contact Chad Salli, the town’s project engineer, at 479-2169.