That September, nearly a week after torrential rains battered the state, thousands of Coloradoans were forced to evacuate their homes.The resulting floods and mudslides killed 10 people.Barnhardt remembers seeing cars and neighbors’ houses drifting by like children’s toys near his home near St. Vrain Creek.
Now, nearly nine years later, the canyon beside him has fully recovered.The patch of Colorado Highway 7 that was washed away has been filled.Scientists have built a new wetland system designed to withstand future floods.
Residents like Barnhardt are relieved that the building cone has finally disappeared.
“We no longer need escorts just to get to and from home,” he said with a smile.”And we can actually get out of our driveway.”
Residents and officials from the Colorado Department of Transportation gathered on Thursday to celebrate the reopening of Highway 7 between Lyon and Estes Park ahead of Memorial Day weekend.
Speaking with attendees, CDOT’s regional director Heather Paddock said the highway repairs are the last of more than 200 separate projects the state has undertaken since the floods.
“In terms of how quickly states are recovering from disasters like this, rebuilding what’s been damaged for nine years is really significant, maybe even historic,” she said.
More than 30 cities and counties from Lyon to the Far East to Sterling reported severe flooding during the event.CDOT estimates that it has spent more than $750 million on road repairs since then.Local governments have spent millions of dollars.
Immediately after the flood, crews focused on temporary repairs to damaged roads such as Highway 7.The patches help roads reopen, but make them vulnerable to severe weather.
St. Vrain Canyon is last on CDOT’s permanent maintenance list because it is one of the least trafficked state-managed corridors on the Front Range.It connects Lyon to Estes Park and several smaller mountain communities such as Ellens Park and Ward.About 3,000 vehicles pass through this corridor every day.
“The community here is really going to benefit the most from this reopening,” Paddock said.”It’s also a huge recreational corridor. It cycles a lot and a lot of fly anglers come here to use the river.”
Permanent repairs to Highway 7 began in September, when the CDOT closed it to the public.In the eight months since, crews have focused their efforts on the 6-mile stretch of road that was the most flood-damaged.
Workers resurfaced asphalt that had been laid on the road during emergency repairs, added new guardrails along the shoulders and dug new rockfall trenches, among other improvements.The only remaining signs of flood damage are water marks on the canyon walls.
In some areas, drivers may also see piles of uprooted tree trunks near the road.CDOT’s lead civil engineer manager on the project, James Zufall, said construction workers may need to implement some single-lane closures this summer before putting the finishing touches on the road, but it will remain open permanently.
“It’s a beautiful canyon, and I’m glad people are coming back here,” Zufar said.”This is a hidden gem in Boulder County.”
A team of scientists worked with construction crews to restore more than 2 miles of St. Vrain Creek.The riverbed changed drastically during the flood, fish populations went extinct, and the safety of the inhabitants followed.
Restoration teams will bring in the boulders and dirt washed downstream by the floodwaters and rebuild the badly damaged parts piece by piece.The finished product is designed to look like a natural river bed while directing future floodwaters away from the new road, said Corey Engen, president of the river construction company Flywater, which is responsible for the work.
“If nothing is done about the river, we’re putting too much force on the road and risking more damage,” Engen said.
The river restoration project cost about $2 million.To shape the project, engineers relied on rock and mud already in the canyon after the flood, said Stillwater Sciences restoration engineer Rae Brownsberger, who advised on the project.
“Nothing was imported,” she said.”I think it adds to the overall value of the ecological improvement.”
In recent months, the team has documented the return of brown trout populations to the creek.Bighorn sheep and other native animals also returned.
There are also plans to plant more than 100 trees along the riverbed this summer, which will help build the area’s topsoil.
While vehicular traffic has been cleared to return to Highway 7 this month, cyclists will have to wait until this fall to hit the road due to ongoing construction activities.
Boulder resident Sue Prant pushed her gravel bike on vacation with a few friends to try it out.
This highway is an important part of the regional cycling routes used by road cyclists.Plant and other members of the cycling community advocated for wider shoulders to be part of the rebuild, she said.
“I’m not sure how steep it is because it’s been so long,” she said.”It’s 6 miles and it’s all uphill.”
Many residents present said they were generally satisfied with the final look of the road, even though it took nine years for it to be permanently restored.There are fewer than 20 residents in the 6-mile area affected by the recent eight-month closure of the St. Fran Canyon, CDOT said.
Barnhart said he plans to spend the rest of his life in the home he bought 40 years ago, if nature allows it.
“I’m just prepared to quiet things down,” he said.”That’s why I moved here in the first place.”
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