2nd Avenue Bridge Grand Opening & Dedication (preview)
The Town of Lyons and project partners invite the community to celebrate the opening of the 2nd Avenue Bridge, at a special grand opening ceremony on Thursday, July 8. The event will take place on-site (198 -199 2nd Ave), beginning at 10:00 a.m. Special guests speaking at the event include Senator John Hickenlooper, Congressman Joe Neguse, and Boulder County Commissioner, Marta Loachamin, along with Lyons Mayor Angelo and Lyons Town Administrator Simonsen. Attending will be representatives from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA), the Department Homeland Security (DHS) Emergency Management and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) along with additional local, county and statewide officials.
Following the 500+-year flood of 2013, 2nd Ave Bridge was rebuilt to be more resilient and able to withstand a 100-year flood event. During the 2013 flood event, debris built up on the piers of the 2nd Ave Bridge, which caused flooding of the Town’s Wastewater Treatment Plant, destroying the Town’s Public Works Storage building and equipment, and completely washing away the McConnell Bridge downstream.
The 2nd Ave bridge was designed and constructed to allow for higher stream flows and debris to pass so that infrastructure downstream will not be destroyed. The reconstructed bridge was primarily funded through FEMA with some assistance from the State’s Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery program, totaling $3.1 million.
The construction project was awarded in September 2020 to prime contractor, Zak Dirt Construction. Since breaking ground in October 2020, construction occurred throughout the following eight months, with final punch list items to be completed in July 2021.
This particular bridge over the confluence of the North and South St Vrain Creeks is a primary local connection to a significant portion of town facilities and residences, including two housing subdivisions, a local church, the recycling center, waste water treatment plant and Bohn Park with approximately 55 acres of Town parkland.
The 2nd Ave Bridge will be dedicated in honor of James L. Blankenship, who served as the Town Engineer from 2002 – 2019.
