Second phase of improvements set to begin May 20 on County Road 77

Published on May 02, 2024

Continuing upon the successful rebuild of Weld County Road (WCR) 77 between Highway 14 and WCR 100 in 2023, the Weld County Department of Public Works will begin more improvements in a few weeks, this time focusing on WCR 77 between WCR 100 and WCR 106. The project moved forward Wednesday, when the Weld County Board of Commissioners approved a temporary road closure from WCR 100 to WCR 120 to begin May 20 and last through Oct. 18, 2024. The detour route can be found on the Weld County Road Advisory Map.

Similar to the work done on WCR 77 a year ago, the road will be rebuilt using full-depth reclamation, a process that allows crews to rebuild a portion of the road with existing asphalt, assuming it’s in good condition.  Beyond creating a stronger driving surface, work will also be done to replace three culverts, correct a sight-distance issue on WCR 77 by lowering a hill, and a bridge north of WCR 106 will receive a new bridge deck and driving surface.

While the closure will last approximately four months, much care has been taken to lessen its inconvenience:

• The project will begin May 20, after graduation for both Pawnee and Briggsdale High School.
  
  
• WCR 77 between WCR 100 and WCR 106 will be reopened on Father’s Day weekend — end of day June 13 through June 16 — to accommodate traffic going to and coming from the Earl Anderson Memorial Rodeo in Grover.

• Public Works has been in contact with the Briggsdale Fire Protection District, Pawnee Fire Protection District, Weld County Department of Public Safety Communications, Pawnee School District RE-12, Briggsdale School District RE-10 and mail carriers in the area to inform them of the project and ensure it doesn’t cause difficulty with school bus routes, mail routes and emergency routes.

In addition to being funded by money in the Public Works budget, in November of last year, Weld County entered into an Intergovernmental Agreement with the Colorado Department of Local Affairs, which is contributing $200,000 toward the project.