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All 27 Colorado highways damaged during this summer’s massive flooding will be reopened ahead of schedule, according to the state’s Department of Transportation.
The Denver Post reports that U.S. 34, in Big Thompson Canyon, will reopen and will give drivers unfettered access from Loveland to Estes Park. Then on November 26, the 13-mile section of Colorado 7—the last flood-ravaged section still closed to the public—will reopen from Lyons to Allenspark.
The news means the state completed the hefty project before Governor John Hickenlooper’s self-imposed December 1 deadline. “This is a big step for us and now we can move ahead with our partners and explore ways to make our roads better in the future,” Colorado Department of Transportation spokeswoman Amy Ford told the Post.
Nearly 500 miles were damaged during the flooding, which ripped through communities this past September. According to an earlier report, the state used $450 million in federal funds for emergency roadwork in several places across Colorado.
—Image courtesy of Colorado National Guard