Construction anticipated to begin next fall, September 2016

Boulder County, Colo. - The Boulder
County Transportation Department in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and
the Federal Highways Administration (FHWA) will host an open house to present
plans for the reconstruction of Brainard Lake Road from the Peak-to-Peak
Highway (State Highway 72) to the Brainard Lake Recreational Area parking lot. The
event will be held Monday, Oct. 19.

What: Open house to discuss Brainard Lake
Road reconstruction

When: Monday, Oct. 19, from 4:30 to 6:30
p.m.
Where: U.S. Forest Service Boulder
Ranger District Office, 2150 Yarmouth Ave.,
Boulder

The meeting is
an opportunity for the public to review the current design, pose questions to
the partnering agencies, and provide input that will be used, where applicable,
during the next phase of design.

Proposed
improvements include:

• Full
  reconstruction of 2.5 miles of county road including widening from current 22
  feet to a 27-foot width. The new road will consist of two 11-foot travel lanes
  along with a four-foot shoulder on the westbound lane to improve safety, allow
  for better wintertime maintenance and provide additional space for cyclists and
  pedestrians;
• Intersection
  improvements at the intersection with State Highway 72;
• Improved
  roadside drainage and snow storage area to better protect the road surface from
  deterioration;
• Source water
  protection measures to protect area water supplies from contamination in the
  event of on-road spills or accidents; and,
• Speed mitigation
  devices to slow vehicles and improve the safety of motorists as they approach
  some of the sharper corners.

Construction
of the new road is scheduled to begin after Labor Day 2016 and last through early
summer 2017.

“As plans are finalized for this reconstruction, we hope to minimize the impacts to the users of Brainard Lake Area by completing most of the construction work during the fall, winter and spring when visitation is lower,” said Boulder District Ranger Sylvia Clark. “The goal is to complete most of the work by Memorial Day 2017.”

To accommodate winter construction, Boulder County is planning to close Brainard Road on weekdays for most of the winter. “At this point, the plan is to close the road every Monday at 8 a.m. and reopen each Friday at noon,” said Boulder County Project Planner Tim Swope. “That will give the contractor room to work in a safe and efficient manner. It’s a narrow road with little to no additional room. Closing the road is the safest and most time-efficient option.”

The road will remain open on weeks when impacts to construction will be minimal and when weather does not allow for work. Closures are planned throughout the construction effort.

The project’s total cost is approximately $4,600,000, in which 80 percent is funded through the Colorado Federal Lands Access Program, a new federal program that provides funding for construction of state or locally owned roads that access federally owned properties. The remaining 20 percent is coming from the county’s Road and Bridge Fund, which pays for the overlay and reconstruction of county roads.

“Brainard Lake Road has been deteriorating for many years and maintenance costs have increased every year. The road needs a complete reconstruction and the Access Program funds will help provide for this,” said Boulder County Transportation Director George Gerstle. “The Colorado Federal Lands Access Program Funds have really helped get this much needed project done. Because the road leads to a Federal recreational area, we feel that the federal funding is justified and much appreciated.”

For more information on the project, visit the project website or contact Andrew Barth at 303-441-1032.