Westbound Interstate 80 will be closed Tuesday from the Secret Town exit to the Highway 174 junction in Colfax for Caltrans maintenance work.

The closure will be in effect from 6:30 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. Two detour routes are available — one for truck traffic, the other for vehicles.

Westbound truck traffic will be detoured at the State Highway 20 Exit 161 and will continue west on State Highway 20 to Grass Valley. From Grass Valley, truck traffic will continue south on State Highway 49 to Bell Road in Auburn, and then back to I-80. The detour is approximately 68 miles in length and will add an additional 40 minutes of travel time.

Westbound vehicular traffic will be detoured at the Secret Town Exit #140 and will continue west on Rollins Lake Road (State Highway 174) and then back to I-80 in Colfax. The detour is six miles long and will add an additional 10 minutes of travel time.

The much-needed work will be occurring in an area of I-80 with steep downhill grades and very narrow shoulders. The closure is necessary so maintenance workers can do the repair work during daytime hours and minimize the exposure of maintenance personnel to live traffic. The work scheduled to be done includes:

- Repair of 400 feet of guardrail damaged from the result of a truck accident.

- Storm water crews will clean slotted drains using a vactor truck.

- Four sweeper trucks will clean the entire closed roadway segment.

- Landscape crews will be spraying the median wall and fire strips with herbicide.

- California Conservation Corps crews will cut back encroaching brush.

- Damaged sign lighting and other lighting equipment will be repaired by an electrical crew.

- Sign crew will repair damaged signs and posts.

- Bridge crew will repair a damaged median barrier wall.

- Maintenance crews will repair/replace broken Portland Cement Concrete pavement slabs and repair potholes.

The California Highway Patrol will be on hand to help direct both truck and vehicular traffic at the two detours. In addition to the added detour travel time, motorists can expect 20 to 30 minute delays and are advised to use caution when traveling through the work area and detours, and to “Slow For the Cone Zone.”