3-mile section of U.S. 34 through Big Thompson Canyon reopens

A 3-mile section of U.S. Highway 34 through the Big Thompson Canyon reopened to the public Wednesday.

For the second winter in a row, the Colorado Department of Transportation has closed U.S. 34 between Loveland and Estes Park to everyone but canyon residents to accommodate road reconstruction and repairs. This year, a 12-mile section of the road has been closed, and 350 homes have been included within the closure. Last year's closure was 3½ miles.

The road has now reopened through the narrows, between mile points 80 and 83.

In the narrows, construction crews completed 14,000 cubic yards of soil-cement mixing to create manmade bedrock beneath the road and installed new drainage, according to a CDOT news release.

The rest of the closure remains in effect and will expand west to mile point 68 on Jan. 22, according to CDOT. Residents with permits can enter and exit the canyon during designated open hours throughout the duration of the project.

In the coming weeks, officials plan to open the road near mile point 71 to residents, which they say will give them more direct access to Estes Park. The area had previously been closed to all motorists, even permit-holders, as crews installed layers of grouted boulders under the road to protect against flooding.

Crews have worked to increase the road's ability to withstand flood damage. Roads and bridges in the canyon were badly damaged during flooding in 2013.

The highway will be closed until Memorial Day, and the project is expected to be complete in December 2018. Officials said there will be intermittent traffic delays as they finish work after the road reopens. Paving will continue through October, and off-roadway river work will continue through December.

Reporter Cassa Niedringhaus covers breaking news for the Coloradoan. Follow her on Twitter: @CassaMN.