Hello Lefthand Canyon Reconstruction Project Listserv Subscriber -

Kelley Trucking, Inc. (KTI), Central Federal Lands, and their subcontractors have been hard at work since Memorial Day and have broken ground in a few new spots on Lefthand Canyon Drive.

Olde Stage Road to James Canyon Drive

Work is still taking place just west of Olde Stage Road where crews continue work to widen the road and move it away from the Left Hand Creek. In addition, a few large rock retaining walls are being built to stabilize the hillside where ground has been removed. Due to the confined nature of this space, the one-hour delay (opening every hour on the hour) is in effect for the Lefthand Canyon between Olde Stage Road and James Canyon Drive. KTI is hopeful that once the excavation and stabilization is complete in this section, the road will be ready for paving. They're now shooting for paving after the Fourth of July holiday, but it may need to be pushed back into mid-July depending on how everything goes. The work in this area is tough due to some extremely hard rock, unstable slopes, and confined space. The photos below show the current conditions of the road in this area:

LEFT - Ongoing excavation work
RIGHT - Rock retaining wall

US 36 to Olde Stage Road

If you've been through this stretch, you've seen that KTI has broken ground in a few spots. They're currently working on:

• A new 60" culvert (see photo below)
• A new bridge - A shoofly has been built (see photo below) to keep people moving around the site and bridge work should commence on the bridge itself within the next week
• Creekside road stabilization

So far, KTI has been able to complete this work without the hour-long closures and they are using flaggers to keep vehicles moving. Delays are typically ranging between 5 and 15 minutes. They are confident that this will be the case through the Fourth of July holiday. I'll send out an update if anything changes between now and then, and I will keep you posted on future plans should delays need to be increased.

LEFT - Culvert Installation
RIGHT - New shoofly for bridge work

Other Important Information

• Dust control - Crews are doing their best to keep the road watered in order to keep dust down, but a week of temps in the 80s and 90s have made this difficult. They'll keep doing their best to keep dust from flying
• Cycling - The road remains open to cyclists whenever it is open to motor vehicles. Please know that that the road is gravel between Olde Stage and James Canyon and in a few short stretches between US 36 and Olde Stage. Use caution when riding through these areas.
• Jamestown and Ward - Access to both of these communities is currently best via Lee Hill Drive. This will not change until paving is complete between Olde Stage and James Canyon Drive. The Mercantile is open for business and I know they would love to see you. James Canyon Drive is paved so go up and say hi.
• Geer Canyon/Heil Valley Ranch - There is currently no work taking place between US 36 and Geer Canyon Drive. The flood recovery-related road construction on Geer Canyon Drive has been complete, so now is a perfect time to go hike or ride Heil Valley Ranch.
• Monitoring of Water in Left Hand Creek - Engineers from Central Federal Lands are testing samples of water from Left Hand Creek in multiple sections each hour to ensure that the environment remains habitable for fish and other aquatic species. A recent visit from the EPA showed that KTI is following all procedures to ensure that the water and surrounding land remains in good condition.
• No work on Monday, July 4 in observation of Independence Day.
• No work on Saturdays or Sundays either.

As always, thank you for your time, patience, and understanding while we work diligently to complete this project.

Have a good weekend.
Sincerely,

Andrew

Andrew Barth
Communications
Boulder County Transportation
303-441-1032
www.LefthandCanyon.com