[grandavenuebridge]

Colorado River put-in closures begin on Aug. 14.
Shoshone, Grizzly Creek and No Name put-ins will be closed 24/7 beginning Aug. 14 for approximately 10 days.

Permitted commercial guides with vehicle permits will be authorized to run doubles from Shoshone to Grizzly Creek during this time. The Shoshone (Exit 123) and Grizzly Creek (Exit 121) rest areas will be closed during this time. These closures are round-the-clock until deconstruction of the traffic bridge is complete.

Beginning Friday, Aug. 11, the GAB team will host a daily 3 p.m. river status conference call.
Call-in number: 218-339-7800
Access Code: 230 0335
The hotline voicemail and project Facebook page will also be updated daily with the river status.

Steel Girder Erection (end-August to early-September)
At the end of August to early-September, crews will begin setting the remaining steel tub girders over the Colorado River. The girder erection schedule requires approximately ten continuous days of Colorado River put-in closures. Shoshone, Grizzly Creek and No Name put-ins will be closed to private river trips.

Permitted commercial guides with vehicle permits will be authorized to run doubles from Shoshone to Grizzly Creek during this time. The Shoshone (Exit 123) and Grizzly Creek (Exit 121) rest areas will be closed during this time. These closures are round-the-clock until steel girders are set.

Safety Message
Remember to stay river right approaching the GAB. Crews have built the north and south causeways and the river is restricted approaching the bridge. During the put-in closures, flaggers will be managing traffic control. Call or text 970-618-9897 before you float.

Project Contact Information
Hotline Call or Text: 970-618-9897
Email: [email protected]
Web: grandavebridge.codot.gov
Facebook: facebook.com/GrandAveBridgeProject

 

[daairguy]

And here it comes.....

 

[watermonkey]

Wait....What? Bullshit.

 

[Sherpa9543]

That's fucked off. I pay taxes too. What's the reasonable explanation that commercials can still operate, but privates cannot? Running Shoshone laps doesn't even bring me near that bridge.


Sent from my iPhone using Mountain Buzz

 

[Fumble]

Please direct comments to:

[email protected]

 

[mikesee]

Are you saying that they'll be closed to private boaters but not to commercials?

Please clarify.

 

[watermonkey]

"erection schedule requires approximately ten continuous days"

I thought anything over 4 hours was really bad.

 

[duct tape]

Email sent. Hopefully I'm reading this wrong but can't believe they would both do this smack dab in the middle of peak Shoshone time (as other rivers start to fade) and give preferential access to commercial boaters.

 

[dafewillis]

Props to watermonkey for the funniest response on the Buzz I've seen in awhile!

 

[mrekid]

So now that deconstruction of the steel superstructure is complete and we are on day 8 of the 5-10 day river closure period, when does CDOT intend to give private boaters the opportunity to run Shoshone again?

 

[grandavenuebridge]

There is still a pier in the center of the river. Crews will begin removing tonight. We will update here, via email, via Facebook and via conference call when we are open.

 

[mrekid]

Looking forward to the update.

 

[jones boater]

Just received an email stating put-ins are closed thru Wed 8/23. Will be closed again some time from the end of August thru mid-Sept. No firm dates given for that closure

 

[DoubleYouEss]

You can still run shoshone, you just need to get dropped at Hanging Lake and walk down, then walk back...

 

[mrekid]

"Will be closed again some time from the end of August thru mid-Sept."

Strange because that is a second ten day full closure per the fact sheet.

"End-August, Early-Sept."

Something seems off.

BTW I would just go run Barrel springs to No Name if it weren't for all the tourons making it dam near impossible anymore!

 

[grandavenuebridge]

GAB Colorado River Use UPDATE


Colorado River Usage Information

As of 2 PM today, Aug. 22, the Colorado River is OPEN. The Shoshone and Grizzly Creek rest areas are now open as well. Work continues on the GAB pier construction.

Crews will close the Colorado River put-ins on Thursday, Aug. 24 at 7 PM (dusk) through Friday, Aug. 25.
The GAB team’s plan is to remove the center pier in the river on Thursday night through Friday. There is a potential for an extended closure Saturday and Sunday.

We will have our 3 PM conference call today to the review the schedule.
Call-in #: 218-339-7800
Access Code: 230 0335

When the river re-opens, the Colorado River put-ins will remain open until approximately Thursday, Aug. 31, when crews begin 10 days of steel girder erection. Thank you for your patience.

Today – OPEN at 2 PM
Tomorrow – OPEN
Thursday – OPEN until 7 PM
Friday – CLOSED
Saturday – Potential Closure
Sunday – Potential Closure

Project Contact Information
Hotline Call or Text: 970-618-9897
Email: [email protected]
Web: grandavebridge.codot.gov
Facebook: facebook.com/GrandAveBridgeProject

 

[Gensha]

This river closure is illegal. In 1979 Eagle County Sheriff Jack Haynes attempted to close the Eagle River. Steve Boyd and Rick Winkeller were arrested for ignoring his order. A group of Vail boaters did a fund raiser to help pay for legal expenses to fight it. It went to the Colorado Supreme Court and it was decided that the sheriff did not have the authority to close the river to recreational boaters. Legal precedent has been set. Any lawyers out there want to take on CDOT?

Closing it to private boaters while allowing commercials access is especially egregious. Time to fight back.

 

[daairguy]

This river closure is illegal. In 1979 Eagle County Sheriff Jack Haynes attempted to close the Eagle River. Steve Boyd and Rick Winkeller were arrested for ignoring his order. A group of Vail boaters did a fund raiser to help pay for legal expenses to fight it. It went to the Colorado Supreme Court and it was decided that the sheriff did not have the authority to close the river to recreational boaters. Legal precedent has been set. Any lawyers out there want to take on CDOT?

Closing it to private boaters while allowing commercials access is especially egregious. Time to fight back.

Why did the Eagle County Sheriff close the Eagle River in 1979? A little bit on context would be useful here. Even though I dont like it I would go as far as saying that this river closure has to be about safety. Did you see the bridge collapse last week?

 

[Andy H.]

Why did the Eagle County Sheriff close the Eagle River in 1979? A little bit on context would be useful here. Even though I dont like it I would go as far as saying that this river closure has to be about safety. Did you see the bridge collapse last week?

Dude, don't you know that you should always trust legal advice from anonymous people on the interwebs???

Yes, I'm a bit skeptical and think the issue is falling concrete (...and that the commercials have a proven track record of being able to eddy out at
Grizzley Creek but that privates may miss it).

-AH

 

[Gremlin]

I attended the meetings early this year along with, maybe 6 other private boaters. Every commercial company and every government entity was there along with the contractors. Everyone wanted the river closed for safety during the demolition of the old bridge except for the commercials who pleaded that it would be better after Labor Day and after school starts back up but that schedule didn't work with the construction schedule. This dominated the conversation and was pretty much hashed out during the meeting that they could do double-Shoshone laps. The 6 local private boaters in the room didn't have much voice, or even a good reason, to argue that we should be able to do the same. We all have had plenty of opportunity to run Shoshone, its low water, and it will be there to run another day.