Functional classification map update complete

Published on May 23, 2024

Five county roads received new classifications as part of a functional classification map update, which was approved by the Weld County Board of Commissioners last week. The update is an element of transportation planning and helps to reserve right of way for roadway improvements that will be needed on county roads in the future as growth and demand increase. The functional classification map is used as the official future roadway plan for the county and is one of the most important transportation planning tools associated with the Weld County Transportation Plan.

The five roads listed in the update include:

• Weld County Road (WCR) 13, which was classified as a future arterial road. A portion of the road, located northwest of Johnstown at WCR 50, is anticipated to be realigned as a Capital Improvement Project, in collaboration with the Town of Johnstown and Larimer County.

• The Weld County Way (East O St.), which was upgraded from a local to collector road.

• WCR 7 north of WCR 26, which was upgraded from a collector road to an arterial road to match the classification on the rest of WCR 7.

• WCR 90 between WCR 13 and WCR 29, which was upgraded from a local road to a collector road.

• WCR 21 north of State Highway 66, which was upgraded from a local road to a collector road.

Aside from utilizing traffic counts and modeling to complete the update, a public meeting was held on March 5, 2024, to hear feedback on the functional classification map as well as thoughts concerning a change in classification to Weld County Road 27 between the Bracewell Curve and State Highway 392. After taking public feedback and consulting with the City of Greeley, no classification change was made. Planning and Public Works staff will continue evaluating WCR 27 for possible improvements in the future.

Learn more about Weld County transportation planning.

Important terms

Roads in the county’s transportation system and in the functional classification map are classified as one of the following:

Local – Roads that serve mostly local traffic and are short to moderate in continuity.

Collector – Roads that link local roads to arterial roads.

Arterial – Roads typically associated with longer trips, connecting larger population centers between major activity centers. Arterial roads may act as an extension of the state highway system or connect traffic to other heavily used roads.