‘A major milestone’: Boston Avenue Bridge lanes now fully open
The Boston Avenue bridge in Longmont has re-opened to all lanes of traffic, something that Left Hand Brewing Co. and other area businesses are celebrating.
The estimated $14.1 million bridge replacement is part of the Resilient St. Vrain Project, the city's multi-year undertaking to completely restore the St. Vrain Greenway and to protect the area from future flooding.
City workers announced in October 2023 that they would close the south half of the bridge and shift two-way traffic to the north half of the bridge. Once the south side of the bridge was completed, workers shifted the two lanes of traffic to the new portion of the bridge so the north side could be reconstructed.
They announced on Oct. 29 that city workers and contractor Zak Dirt Inc. had completed the north and south structures and paved the deck of the bridge over the St. Vrain River, calling it a major milestone.
The length of the new bridge is 231.9 feet, according to Allan Bryning, Longmont senior civil engineer. The old bridge's length was 150.3 feet, meaning the new bridge is 81.6 feet longer. Additionally, the width of the new bridge is 68 feet whereas the old one was 54.5 feet.
New bike lanes were added, and pedestrian sidewalks are open across the bridge, too. The westbound left turn lane that provides access to South Francis Street is open.
The next piece of construction in the area will concentrate on the completion of the St. Vrain Greenway underpass, a paved trail that will allow bicyclists and pedestrians to either bypass or reconnect with Boston Avenue, according to a city announcement.
City officials have budgeted about $14.1 million for the Boston Avenue bridge project over the St. Vrain River and, to date, has spent $13.6 million.
Left Hand Brewing Co. CEO and founder Eric Wallace said in an email on Friday that he and his colleagues were "psyched" to see the Boston Avenue bridge reopen, since the brewing company is just east of the bridge.
"Having both the greenway next to us closed and bridge traffic choked down certainly made it more challenging to get to our tasting room and beer garden and definitely impacted our sales for the past year and a half," Wallace said.
Wallace, though, commended the construction crews, saying they were great to work with.
"We encourage everyone to come down to Left Hand, walk across the beautiful new bridge, and have a beer in the tasting room afterwards," Wallace said.
