Turning Back the Pages

30 years ago – May 17, 1985

The discussion about the Apex Road bridge and the peat trucks that use it has expanded this week to include school buses. Tuesday, Gilpin County posted 5-ton load limit signs on the bridge. It is not yet known whether or not the limit will halt the use of the bridge by RE-1 school buses. Bob Dornbrock, County Road & Bridge supervisor, said the load limit should not pose a problem for school buses, county dump trucks, or trucks used by local contractors. He spoke to RE-1 Superintendent Fred Meyers at the beginning of the week and assured him there would not be a problem with school buses. The 5-ton limit protects the county, Dornbrock said. There is no way to enforce the limit, but if a large truck or even a trailer hauling heavy equipment were to fall through the bridge, the county would not be liable to fix it. That obligation would fall onto whoever was responsible for the vehicle that did the damage. Dornbrock thinks peat trucks may exceed the five-ton load limit. Dornbrock does not know how old the concrete bridge is, but it has been there for many years. There are five county bridges in Gilpin. Three are on the road between Rollinsville and East Portal, one on South Beaver Creek Road, and the Apex bridge.

A 30-year old Russell Gulch woman died Monday evening after suffering a seizure in Idaho Springs. Jan Duda was found in a shower in the Indian Springs Resort where she worked. According to Idaho Springs Police Chief Bob Nowak, she was seen going to the showers area at 6:50 p.m. When she was found, the ambulance and police were called. Investigator Dave Ochs and Officer Schaudt arrived at 7:10 p.m. A woman was attempting to administer CPR (cardio-pulmonary resuscitation). Ochs called the fire department. Ambulance and fire personnel maintained CPR at the scene. Duda was transported to Lutheran Medical Center in Wheat Ridge. She was pronounced dead at the hospital and taken to the Jefferson County coroner’s office for an autopsy.