Welp 36 is down and out

[Eric P]

Well, I want to laugh or make jokes, but what an unfortunate mess! Didn't they use engineered soil? Did the clay just slip out between the layers? Hope that private, non-US, company that owns that road (Plenary Group) is warming up their check books and getting all hands on deck.

On another note, is that really the best/only picture the Denver Post could come up with?

I'm sure it was undercompacted soil built hastily. This was built at a time CDOT was making a change to address this issue. It may have been built with the older requirement. I am sure the soils engineers in my office have been busy all weekend.

At 1sr when I heard cracked concrete, I thought the heat and moisture caused the concrete to thermally expand and buckle.

Similar but smaller soil failure have occurred at I25 & I225 tunnel and on I25 between Colorado and University. COSMIX in Colorado Springs is another example of failed soil.

All these projects were build under Design-Build contracts in haste. CDOT has little control and say in QA. QA failures can still be accepted through "value engineering" buy the designer, who is also the builder. Ultimate Jerry rigging boondoggle. Cant wait to see what C470 and I70 bring after completion.

[BPTactical]

I'm sure it was undercompacted soil built hastily. This was built at a time CDOT was making a change to address this issue. It may have been built with the older requirement. I am sure the soils engineers in my office have been busy all weekend.

At 1sr when I heard cracked concrete, I thought the heat and moisture caused the concrete to thermally expand and buckle.

Similar but smaller soil failure have occurred at I25 & I225 tunnel and on I25 between Colorado and University. COSMIX in Colorado Springs is another example of failed soil.

All these projects were build under Design-Build contracts in haste. CDOT has little control and say in QA. QA failures can still be accepted through "value engineering" buy the designer, who is also the builder. Ultimate Jerry rigging boondoggle. Cant wait to see what C470 and I70 bring after completion.

A little history on that area:
In 1985 two trains collided at a railroad underpass right near there and caught fire, destroying the bridge. The bridge had to be rebuilt and was done so very hastily.
https://www.9news.com/article/news/l...pass/427366033

When US36 was widened in the mid 90's I believe quite a bit of fill was brought in from the dredging of Hidden Lake and Sloans lake, I know for a fact this soil was used on I-76 which explains why it is a roller coaster ride from Federal east.
Quality fill material.
Groundwater in the area of the recent failure is also present.