If you have plans to visit Estes Park or Lyons in the next month, you might want to rethink your route there.

US Highway 36, the main highway between the two towns, will close both directions for 30 days.

The Colorado Department of Transportation's (CDOT) 30-day closure began at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, March 9, and will last till the week of April 7. The closure will be no longer than 500 feet, but no vehicles (except for buses and emergency vehicles) will be able to go through.

Crews will improve overall safety through increasing visibility around a blind shoulder, as well as increasing the size of the shoulder itself. They will also fix damages done to the road during the massive flood of 2013 by installing two large drainage structures under US 36, to allow the Little Thompson River to go back to its original channel.

Once the highway reopens at the beginning of April, working crews might require single-lane closures to continue work during the week. CDOT stated this continuing work might last until February 2021.

This project, however, does not mean you need to cancel your plans to visit Estes Park or Lyons. Drivers will still be able to make it to destinations in the area, the drive will just be a little longer than usual; the average drive from Lyons to Estes Park is about 30 minutes. Alternative routes include:

• Colorado Highway 7 West to Allenspark, then north to Estes Park – roughly 50 minutes
• US 287 North westbound to US 34, towards Estes Park – more than an hour

To learn more about the US 36 project, visit the website here.

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