CR 54 (Douglas Road) Safety Improvement Project
PROJECTS TO DATE:
OTHER INFORMATION:
Larimer County Transportation Master Plan
Aragon Concrete Batch Plant
Michael Whitley, Planner
(970) 498-7720
Send email
Thornton Pipeline
John Barnett, Planner
(970) 498-7712
Send email
CONTACT:
Clint Jones, Project Manager
(970) 498-5727
Email
FAQs
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Larimer County collects data on pavement condition on our roadways and the pavement condition index (PCI) for Douglas Road, on a scale of from 0 to 100, was found to be 61 when surveyed in 2019. As a result, it was on the overlay schedule for that year, but overlay work was suspended when the Thornton pipeline project 1041 application was in process and there was a possibility that the pipeline route could be down CR 54. The overlay program only resurfaces the existing roadway and does not make significant shoulder or other changes to the roadway.
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Many of the county road improvements evolved over time. They started out as rural gravel roads, as growth occurred and traffic increased, they may have been chip sealed, and then paved. Most of the improvements focused on vehicles since bicycle use was not nearly as common and popular as it is today. Now, whenever we plan to overlay a road, we look for ways to widen the shoulders. We also look at each road and try to identify if there are any safety issues that should be looked at more closely such as turn lanes. We are not always able to make all the improvements that we would like to but if we can add some capital improvement funding to a maintenance project, it helps our limited capital dollars go further. We also consider that when we overlay a road, it is likely to be 15 to 20 years before there will be another chance to make major changes to the road, so we try not to pass up opportunities.
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No, Douglas Road is classified as an arterial roadway in the Fort Collins and Larimer County Transportation Master Plans. Arterial roadways carry longer-distance traffic flow for regional, intercommunity, and major commuting purposes. Arterial roadways are not eligible for truck limitations if they are within legal weight and size parameters. For more information, see the Citizen Response letter from Mark Peterson, Larimer County Engineer, dated August 10, 2021, below.
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A goal for the design team will be to minimize the impacts to private property and need for additional Right-of-Way acquisitions. If additional right-of-way is required, Larimer County will negotiate with property owners, and acquire the minimum amount necessary to complete the project.
Is this project planned because of proposed development in the area such as the concrete batch plant at the Aragon property south of Terry Lake near Hwy 287?
No. However, daily traffic volumes are expected to increase as growth occurs in this part of the county. As mentioned above, Larimer County postponed previous plans to resurface CR 54 (Douglas Road) until it became clear that the Thornton pipeline alignment was no longer proposed within this section of CR 54 (Douglas Road) right-of-way. The pavement condition is declining to a level where resurfacing of the existing pavement will no longer be viable and more costly full depth reconstruction will be needed unless this project proceeds within the near future.
