IRONBRIDGE LAWSUIT
GLENWOOD SPRINGS— Homeowners at Ironbridge are waiting to see if a judge will uphold $14 million in awards related to defects in the construction of homes on sinking soils. Recently a jury awarded close $7 million to 20 homeowners at the subdivision, determining that the developer, a Lehman Brothers subsidiary, was responsible for damage. Homeowners were awarded another $7 million earlier this year in a finding involving the homebuilders. The homes were built on evaporite, a soil that has been linked to sinkholes and subsidence in parts of western Colorado. The homeowners’ attorney says two homes have been condemned, and one home has moved about 20 inches.
PLAN FOR DELAYS ON I-70 CORRIDOR AT IDAHO SPRINGS
DENVER (AP) – Drivers heading through the I-70 mountain corridor into Idaho Springs can expect long delays tonight as construction reduces the highway to one lane in each direction. Westbound I-70 drivers will shift into the eastbound lanes and travel up a ramp to cross over the highway on Colorado Boulevard and re-enter westbound I-70.
Eastbound I-70 drivers will turn onto the new off-ramp at Colorado Boulevard and go down another ramp to re-enter the highway. All lanes are expected to reopen by 7 a.m. Tuesday, but the Colorado Department of Transportation says the eastbound lane closure might be extended. The detours are due to construction crews setting the girders for a new bridge under construction.
WESTERN SLOPE HORSE RELOCATION
GRAND JUNCTION (AP) – The Bureau of Land Management wants to take 167 horses off land in western Colorado and move them to long-term holding in Canon City next month so they can find them a new home. Opponents are trying to find ways to block it. Oil and gas facilities are scattered across much of the area. Officials say the land doesn’t have enough resources to support a large number of animals. In 2012, horses nearly died after two springs on Texas Mountain all but dried up in a drought, leaving many horses in the herd severely parched. Opponents say the horses deserve special status because of their long history on the land, going back to the days of Spanish exploration.
