Roadtrippin' Colorado Style

Northbound traffic is back on the new C/D road over Monument Creek, and crews are working hard at the new pillars.

Looking at the work zone. The pillars will be where the retaining walls will be installed.

Looking northwest at the new retaining walls. We're right over where Nevada will intersect the interstate, and the road we see curving off in the distance is the Corporate Centre extension.

Crews are working hard in the median today.

On the C/D bridge over Monument Creek headed southbound.

That backhoe is right where the old southbound bridge used to be. I think we'll need to check this out.

Now on the Pikes Peak Greenway Trail approaching the bridge construction/destruction area.

Yup. The former southbound bridge is slowly being dismantled.

Look closely in the shadow of the near bridge: there's a worker there catching some z's on his break.

The old bridge is still intact in places and piles of rubble in other places.

Cleaning up the mess the old bridge's demolition left behind. Crews didn't waste any time here: this bridge was here 4 days ago.

Piles of rubble and pillars, anyone?

A platform for installation of the new girders?

Chiseling out the old concrete landing point of the old southbound bridge.

I have a new favorite shot of the COSMIX series. I should submit this one to SEMA Constructors.

Another shot of old dwarfed by new.

I was actually a little worried about the operator swinging the crane around and hitting me just after I took this pic.

A shot of the junk that the crane operator is dealing with.

Old versus new, take 2. This shot shows how old lost here.

Approaching the construction zone from the trail. We can see that the traffic has been shifted.

The northbound traffic has been placed onto the former southbound bridge.

Walls are going up at the far end of the creek area now. That wall will eventually be where the bridge over Nevada Avenue starts.

It's odd to me seeing traffic moving this direction. I'm just not used to it.

Looking along the new C/D bridge in the opposite direction of traffic flow.

A closer shot of the construction of a retaining wall and a shot of some erosion damage.

A shot of the progress of the COrporate Centre Drive extension. Note that the construction vehicles are using the hotel's parking lot as their own driveway.

Now I'm convinced we have a new ghost ramp in the city. At the end of the asphalt is a nice, gentle slope down to the new lanes.

Approaching where the Corporate Centre offramp used to be.

Coming up on the new intersection for Nevada/Corp Centre drive. Remember, we're using the new C/D road offramp right now.

About to head over Monument Creek.

Continuing the northbound detour onto the old southbound lanes from the Rockrimmon page.

Heading over Monument Creek while traveling north in the old southbound lanes. You get a sense of how low this bridge is when you see the new one here.

Approaching the next major construction area in the Nevada/Rockrimmon zone.

After a few break-ins and other types of vandalism, crews thought it best to surround the cement plant with a fence. No word on if that's helping or not.

The former ramp to I-25 is still there, and it shows no sign of going away. Are we seeing a ghost ramp in the making?

The Corporate Centre extension is progressing nicely, I see.

Most of the curbs have been poured now.

Looking at the future intersection of the southbound C/D road and Corporate Centre Drive/Nevada Avenue.

A little closer than the previous shot.

Looking at the almost-complete box culvert design of the Corporate Centre extension.

This seems to be all that's left until the box culvert is complete.

Coming up on the bridges from the north while on the Pikes Peak Greenway Trail.

Painting has started.

Looking the same direction as northbound traffic heads.

Looking past what's left of the old southbound lanes to the pillars which will support the mainline lanes.

A big and little pipe are chillin' under the northbound C/D bridge.

Crews have installed drain pipes. Shouldn't that be at a steeper slope to help prevent the draining water from icing up?

Looking at the new southbound C/D road bridge and the continued construction on the mainline bridges.

Another bridge construction shot.

Crews left the add-on lane of the old southbound bridge over Monument Creek.

Work erecting the new pillars continues.

Heading southbound approaching the Monument Creek bridges.

The extension of Corporate Centre is going to be over Monument Creek on a box culvert.

I hope this will be closed off once it's complete. This would be the ideal homeless campground if not.

Looking north along the Corporate Centre extension.

Looking at the current end of the box culvert. This will eventually extend all the way to the interstate.

Hello!!! Is anybody in there???

Looking at the current south end of the culvert.

Not a lot is happening under the interstate today. In fact, nothing is happening under the interstate today.

The trail is detoured to right up against one of the old NB bridge pillars.

Only two pillars have been poured since the old bridge came down. This is one of them.

Big metal tube's just chillin' waiting for something to do.

Looking north at the mainline construction area from under the NB C/D bridge.

Another shot just here to demonstrate how blue the sky gets around these parts.

Wow. Can't get there from here.

Toy storage right next to the roadway.

Working away.

It's like driving through Stonehenge, I tell ya.

Another pillar shot.

Scenic roadgeek shot here, I tells ya.

The mainline pillars are starting to take shape.

Closer shot of the construction.

Construction traffic still utilizes the old ramps to the interstate... or at least where the I was.

The Corp Centre extension is rolling right along.

The construction has really narrowed this driveway.

Peeking in at the ongoing C/D construction

Zoom lenses are our friends.

Where the Corp Centre exit used to be at on SB 25.

Where there was a Corp Centre merge lane now lies a pull off.

Approaching the Monument Creek bridges on NB 25

Closer in to the Monument Creek bridges.

The new mainline bridge will be significantly higher than the old SB bridge.

Working right up to the edge of the existing bridge

Installing the concrete forms for these pillars.

From the vantage point discovered last week now: Installing the concrete form.

Looks like the pour happened just the way it should have.

Showing the many levels of bridges and roadways, both new and old.

"Trail Detour"? There's some interesting signs down here, I tell ya.

The detour just makes you walk in the mud, that's all.

A shot of the new pillar construction.

On the trail. Still open, but troublesome to walk or bike on.

Looking up the columns.

More pillar goodness.

A concrete footer? What are they doing?.

This is a cool shot.

On Corp. Centre looking at the construction progress.

Still more construction goodness.

From the parking lot at the current end of Corp. Centre looking at the northern edge of the SB C/D bridge.

These blokes are working on the Corp. Centre extension.

"Is that a hole? I think it's a hole!"

A detour sign for this exit just before the Monument Creek bridges

Closer to the bridges now. Lotsa activity today.

Looks like cement pour day today.

Cement pouring goodness

Now from the trail: as we see, the bridge railings on the NB C/D bridge are all but complete.

The southern landing point of the NB C/D bridge.

A look down the span

Looking between the supports, as I have done in previous pics.

Old on the left, new on the right, looking the direction of traffic northbound.

Looking at the southbound lanes from under the old NB bridge.

Activity happening between the NB and SB lanes, too.

A shot of the cement pump truck we saw from the interstate.

Pouring on the bridge deck. The plastic is there to stop pedestrians from getting a bath.

I love my new zoom lens!

A new vantage point! This is the pour we saw from below in the last few pics.

Have I mentioned that I really like the image quality of my new camera?

At the southern end of the SB C/D road

The parking lot of the hotel at the current end of Corp. Center is being removed for road expansion.

Headed south on 25. The C/D bridge has girders now, too.

Definitely higher than the original bridge.

The landing point of the new bridge.

Approaching the bridges from the north on the trail.

The new bridges start to appear through the trees.

Getting closer to the bridges.

Working on the expansion joints.

Looking across the creek at the SB C/D bridge

Here's a generator humming away.

The new C/D bridge is significantly higher than the old bridges: the new mainline bridges will be even higher.

Now approaching the construction site from the south, looking at the NB C/D bridge.

This worker is attaching the catwalk to the bridge girder.

Looking at the construction progress. The metal base is being installed today: this is a noisy area.

The metal supports have slipped down on this pillar.

Looking north(east) down the bridge.

Headed southbound on I-25: activity continues on the SB C/D road.

Just before the bridge over Monument Creek. We see the SB C/D road pillars await girder installation.

On the Monument Creek bridge now.

Approaching the bridge work from the Monument creek trail, heading north.

Surveyors are keeping tabs on the new bridge installation.

Bridge girders have been installed on the NB C/D road now.

Getting closer to the new bridge.

The southern start to the bridge.

Workers in action.

Approaching the main worksite. This is still open to bicyclists and pedestrians through all of this.

Looking down the length of the bridge.

Closer to the crane. I didn't use the zoom on my camera: I'm this close.

Another shot down the length of the bridge.