The Eisenhower Johnson tunnels have closed unexpectedly multiple times this month, often in the wee hours of the morning.
The closures last no longer than a half-hour, but they have never been explained.
Until now.
“This is part of an ongoing project,” Bob Wilson with CDOT tells us. “We’re replacing a lot of the electrical breakers up there that are 50 years old. They go back to the original construction (of the tunnels).”
And then, there are power outages not even CDOT knows are coming.
“They’re being done by Xcel Energy, and they’re shutting down power whenever they’re doing some service work as well,” Wilson continues. “Sometimes we know when it’s coming and other times we don’t.”
Wilson promises this work will never happen on Fridays or weekends. But be ready for more outages and closures overnight on weekdays, often with no warning.
CDOT hopes to finish all breaker replacement before summertime.