Road closure extended on Weld County Road 77
Published on October 27, 2023
The Weld County Board of Commissioners has approved extending the road closure associated with the project on Weld County Road (WCR) 77 between Highway 14 and WCR 100 until Nov. 22, 2023. The extension gives the Weld County Department of Public Works more time to complete paving, signing and striping — the last major elements of the project — while dealing with anticipated colder temperatures.
“The weather has cooperated with us throughout the majority of this project and temperatures have been unseasonably warm for this time of year, but this extension is necessary to plan for the probability of colder temperatures in the near future, which could slow down paving operations to three days per week,” said Curtis Hall, Director of the Weld County Department of Public Works. “We have about 13 days of paving left to do, but doing so in colder temperatures can cause compaction issues, so, to ensure we can pave on relatively warm days and make the most of our material, we need to extend the closure past our original completion date of November 3rd.”
In addition to anticipated colder temperatures, the increased demand for asphalt from multiple entities has slowed supply, although Hall said the project continues to move forward.
“Supply issues are not uncommon as everyone wants to finish paving before winter. Our biggest concern is the overall temperature,” he said. “There’s still a high probability we could open the road before the 22nd.”
Hall also explained that colder temperatures must always be considered during fall and winter but are not as big of a factor in every project. While cold temperatures can affect the compaction of asphalt on WCR 77, projects like the roundabout at WCR 74 and WCR 33 are relatively unaffected because the driving surface is made of concrete.
The WCR 77 project, which began on June 19, has remained consistently on schedule. In the four months since the project began, the five-mile stretch of road, located north of Briggsdale, has undergone quite a transformation. Crews have worked diligently to improve the road’s surface through full-depth reclamation (FDR). Depending on the condition of a road and the base that sits underneath it, FDR allows Public Works to use a portion of existing asphalt to rebuild the road. Before FDR could be completed, work was done to remove five inches of existing asphalt, and complete subgrade work, which included widening the road to accommodate eight-foot and six-foot paved shoulders, two-foot gravel shoulders and the application of new base course. While paving, signing and striping need to be completed, crews are also working to finish shouldering activities and seeding and mulching along the roadway.
While the closure remains in place, residents are asked to utilize paved detours, which include WCR 390/105 between WCR 136 and Highway 14 and Highway 14 between WCR 105 and WCR 77.