Highway 47 Bank Restoration Project

Project Details

  • Bank ID Number: PC109
  • Project Channel Length: 3,000 feet
  • Total Project Cost: $6.0 million (District: $4.5 million, CDOT: $1.5 million)
  • Completion: November 2018
A dry riverbed with some water, surrounded by trees and land, under a clear blue sky. Signs of erosion are visible.
Side view of Highway 47 bank restoration project
Fountain Creek Restoration Project
Native bank restoration at Highway 47
The image shows a landscape with a river, a bridge, and a pile of concrete debris along a sandy shore and sparse vegetation.
Early stages of Highway 47
The image shows a riverbank with new vegetation, a bridge overhead, and an area of exposed soil, indicating restoration or landscaping efforts.
View of Highway 47 bank restoration project
A dry riverbed with some water, surrounded by trees and land, under a clear blue sky. Signs of erosion are visible.
Fountain Creek Restoration Project
The image shows a landscape with a river, a bridge, and a pile of concrete debris along a sandy shore and sparse vegetation.
The image shows a riverbank with new vegetation, a bridge overhead, and an area of exposed soil, indicating restoration or landscaping efforts.

Project Summary

The Highway 47 Bank Restoration Project restored approximately 3,000 feet of Fountain Creek upstream of the Highway 47 bridge in Pueblo. Following the June 2015 flood, the creek shifted east toward the bridge, increasing erosion, channel instability, and the risk of damage to critical transportation infrastructure.

Completed in partnership with the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), the project restored a more stable channel by realigning the creek, protecting bridge abutments with riprap, constructing a guide bank to improve flow through the bridge, and restoring native vegetation. These improvements reduce erosion and sediment loading, protect the Highway 47 bridge, and enhance the health of the riparian corridor.

Why This Project?

The 2015 flood significantly altered the channel upstream of the Highway 47 bridge, increasing erosion and threatening the stability of the bridge. By restoring a more natural channel alignment, stabilizing streambanks, and improving flow through the bridge crossing, the project reduces flood risk, protects critical infrastructure, improves water quality, and creates a healthier, more resilient Fountain Creek corridor.