Watch out, Denver drivers. The speed limit on one recently reopened road has dropped to only 10 mph.
The Eighth Avenue viaduct, a bridge between Tejon and Mariposa streets near where Interstate 25 meets Sixth Avenue, was closed over the weekend for maintenance, according to the Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure.
When it reopened Monday morning, the speed limit had dropped from 30 mph to 10 mph, city transportation officials said in a news release.
Officials have not yet decided if the change will be permanent.
The goal is to get motorists to drive slowly over the bridge’s damaged expansion joints, which are now covered by two steel plates installed during the weekend closure, according to the news release.
Expansion joints enable bridges to accommodate traffic loads, expand and contract as temperatures fluctuate and more, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.
The metal plates over the joints create a large bump in the roadway and could cause damage to vehicles if driven over too quickly, city officials said. Both plates will be in place until the damaged joints are repaired or replaced.
Maintenance and repairs will continue on the viaduct, and Denver transportation officials are seeking funding to replace the bridge’s west side.
The question of that funding, if approved by the Denver City Council, could appear on the November ballot as one of the projects included in the Vibrant Denver Bond.
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