The calendar officially tells us it’s spring, but in Colorado, we know that consistently warmer weather may still be several weeks – or more – away. One result of Colorado’s yo-yo-ing weather, that many people don’t often think about, is the toll our freeze-thaw cycles have on public roads, alleys, parking lots and more.
This year’s especially harsh winter, with dramatic temperature peaks and valleys, has caused road issues, triggering cracks, potholes, ruts, wash-boarding and debris pile-up. While many of these weather-related issues are predictable — in that we know our roads take a beating every winter — it still poses a challenge for staff to get ahead of.
The Town maintains 22 miles of roadway, as well as alleys and public parking lots. In the winter, plowing operations are the top priority for staff to ensure residents and visitors can travel safely throughout Town. Additionally, many road issues caused by our harsh climate can’t be adequately fixed until temperatures level out and the snow and ice are gone.
Spring Cleaning and Road Maintenance
In the spring, Town staff works to address many of the issues that creep up over the winter. This includes applying patch material (heated asphalt) to potholes, cleaning and sealing cracks in the road surface and clearing culverts to ensure good drainage.
On unpaved roads and alleys, crews smooth and blade the street to create a flatter surface, shaping it to promote better drainage and applying magnesium chloride to help with dust control. Gravel is also applied to these areas to hold the surface of the road together.
The street sweeper is deployed to clear accumulated dirt and debris and remove harmful chemicals from road surfaces that could otherwise enter the river or seep into the ground.
Larger Road Improvement Projects
In addition to annual road maintenance, the Town plans and budgets for more significant, long-term road improvement projects each year. Through a competitive bid process, the Town selected Strohecker Asphalt & Paving to complete mill and overlay operations on the following street sections this summer:
- N. 1st Street from Hwy 160 to Town limits
- Pike Drive from Hwy 160 to Town limits
- Trinity Lane
- S. 5th Street from Pirate Drive to Yamaguchi South
- Hermosa Street
- Aspen Village Drive
- Parking lots (at the Visitor Center and S. 5th Street)
The same contractor will finish work that was delayed from last year’s capital program, including:
- N. 2nd Street from Lewis to Mesa Drive (this has been milled but not paved)
- Florida Street from the new pavement at 8th Street to 6th Street
For roads in better condition, chip sealing and a slurry seal coat will be applied by A-One Chip Seal to help lengthen the overall life of the street. Roads scheduled to be treated include:
- Lewis Street
- Durango Street
- Eaton Drive
- S. 6th Street
2023 Highway 160 Projects
The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) maintains Highway 160, which bisects the Town. By mid-June, the McCabe Creek Culvert Replacement Project at Hwy 160 and 6th Street is anticipated to be complete.
This summer, CDOT has plans to resurface several miles of Hwy 160 on the west side of Town and east of town to Hwy 84.
Additionally, CDOT, the Town and other stakeholders are working on plans for the Hwy 160 Corridor Project, which will include a new highway surface, pedestrian crossings, a wider sidewalk on the north side of the 400 block, new lighting and more.
Report a Road Concern
You can help the Town identify areas of concern by reporting road maintenance issues (e.g., signage, potholes, drainage, snow removal, etc.) right from your phone or computer. Submit a service request through iWorQ , here, and the request will be routed to staff for review.