Contractor Bidding Begins on the Hwy 9 Safety Project

The Colorado State Hwy 9 Safety Project has reached another milestone as contractors will soon begin submitting bids for the $46 million project, reports the Summit Daily News. While some preliminary work like locating utility lines has already begun, heavy construction will not start until Spring of 2015, as soon as weather allows.

The CO State Hwy 9 Safety Project was approved for funding through the RAMP program during the summer of 2013 after an intensive and successful grassroots campaign to raise over $9 million. The project has become a model for the success of public-private partnerships, and will feature the first wildlife overpasses in the state of Colorado.

In addition to the construction, an extensive wildlife monitoring program has documented, and will continue to document, wildlife mortalities and response to the project.  In another example of public-private partnering, funding from CDOT and private foundations will provide a combination of cameras, radio collars and observational studies to monitor the reduction in wildlife mortalities after the completion of the project.