Public hearings scheduled for Owl Canyon corridor

By JoAn Bjarko
North Forty News

Larimer County residents will have two more opportunities to let government officials know what they think of paving the entire Owl Canyon Corridor north of Wellington.

Three open houses held in Wellington collected comments from area residents on road safety issues and the future alignment of an improved road. They also generated plenty of disparate comments on whether the unpaved portion of the 12-mile corridor, west from CR 15, should be paved or left as is. Several have said traffic in the corridor is too fast and dangerous now and that paving will only make it worse.

At this time, however, Larimer County does not have enough money to finish paving the corridor that uses County Roads 70 and 72 to connect Interstate 25 on the east with U.S. Highway 287 on the west. In today's dollars, road alignment and safety improvements recommended by the county engineering staff would cost $15.84 million.

With the uncertainty of funding in mind, the county engineers have suggested a phased approach to improve the two-lane road throughout the corridor.

Phase one would focus on specific safety upgrades such as adding guardrails to narrow bridges and reviewing safety concerns at the junction with Highway 287.

Phase two would vacate the far west section of CR 70 and its connection to CR 21 on the Weaver Ranch and build a new gravel roadway as an extension of CR 19 (Taft Hill Road) to carry traffic to CR 72. In this phase, the county would consider building a roundabout for the intersection of CR 19 and 70.

In five or more years, the county could be ready for phase three, said Public Works Director Marc Engemoen. Phase three calls for replacing four narrow bridges on CR 70 in the vicinity of CR 15. The engineering department would also look at intersection improvements. Roundabouts at CR 9 and 15 would be studied at this time.

Phase four would pave the corridor from CR 15 west to Highway 287. Part of this section is currently chip sealed, which looks like pavement. Engineers noted that traffic volume exceeded the threshold for paving 10 years ago.

The next step is for the elected county officials to adopt the corridor project as proposed or revise it. The county's volunteer planning commission will hold a public hearing Oct. 15 at 6:30 p.m. in the courthouse offices building in Fort Collins. The elected board of commissioners will hold a final public hearing at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 17 at the same location.

More information about the project and public comments from the open houses are available online at www.larimer.org/engineering or by calling 498-5731