Category: Front Page

District Meetings to be held NEXT WEEK

• District 5: Director and Alternate
• At-Large: Director and Alternate

• District 1-2: Alternate
• At-Large: Director and Alternate

• District 6: Director and Alternate
• At-Large: Director and Alternate

Lunch and Learn: Webinar with NCGA’s Jon Doggett – This Thursday

Jon Doggett, Chief Executive Officer of the National Corn Growers Association, will be joining us next week on August 26 at 12:30 pmfor a discussion on the work and programs that NCGA is engaged in to benefit corn farmers, and Colorado’s engagement with NCGA. The webinar will be available on our YouTube channel after the event.

 

Doggett has served as the CEO since 2018 and been with NCGA since 2002. 

 

Raised on his family’s Montana ranch, Doggett has substantial knowledge of
production agriculture and agribusiness, as well as more than 30 years of agricultural policy and leadership experience, after moving to Washington in the late 1980s.

 

Please share!

This webinar is open to anyone who would like to attend, so please feel free to share this with any organization or individual who you think would benefit from this information.

 

While the CCAC is not allowed to lobby under the marketing order, it is allowed to educate producers on legislation.

 

CONNECT WITH US!

 

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GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) _ Colorado Gov. Jared Polis says the state should be able to reopen a vital interstate highway corridor that was blocked by massive mud and debris slides in a wildfire burn scar area to limited traffic on Saturday.

Polis made the announcement after touring repair work along Interstate 70 in the Glenwood Canyon area on Wednesday. The interstate, which winds through the narrow, 18-mile-long (29-kilometer-long) canyon, has been closed since July 29, when a series of mud and debris slides triggered by heavy rain buried parts of the highway.

Polis said workers hope to open traffic on one lane in each direction by Saturday afternoon as repairs continue. State transportation workers have been removing thousands of tons of debris from the roadway, which connects Denver to the West Coast.

Mudslides have become more frequent and intense since the Grizzly Creek Fire scorched about 50 square miles (130 square kilometers) in the canyon last summer, making conditions ripe for debris flows in burn-scarred terrain. Scientists have long warned mudslides can follow wildfires made worse by climate change. Such slides have caused deaths and destruction in recent years in California and other parts of the U.S. West.

The July 29 mudslides stranded more than 100 people in their vehicles overnight, capping several weeks of perilous conditions in the scenic canyon carved by the Colorado River. The 46-mile-long (74-kilometer-long) closure has forced commercial and personal vehicle traffic to make hours-long detours, and state transport officials even recommended long-haul commercial trucks take Interstate 80 to the north in Wyoming as an alternate route.

“We are pushing to get this open as quickly as we can. But of course it has to be safe before we can do that,” Polis said after touring the area with Shoshana Lew, executive director of the state transportation department, and other transport and U.S. Forest Service officials, The Post-Independent reported. “At this point, we are confident it will be open Saturday afternoon with one lane each way.“

Polis said both lanes in each direction will open, likely in November, with initial repairs to the road surface, though motorists should prepare for short-term closures as repair work continues. “There’s really only about a quarter-mile patch where it would go down to one lane,” he said.

In one section, a 15-foot-deep hole pocks the eastbound lanes, and a barrier wall along the westbound lanes sustained significant damage. In several areas, crews had to remove 10 to 15 feet of debris (3 to 4.5 meters) in order to inspect damage underneath.

The Federal Highway Administration has authorized an initial $11.6 million in funding for the work. Polis has requested $116 million in emergency federal aid.

Scientists say special calculations are needed to determine how much global warming is to blame, if at all, for a single extreme weather event such as the debris flows. But a historic drought and recent heat waves tied to climate change have, no doubt, made wildfires harder to fight in the American West.

Climate change has made the region much warmer and drier in the past 30 years and is expected to make weather more extreme and wildfires more frequent and destructive, which could lead to more mudslides as rain falls on burn scars.

ARAPAHOE COUNTY — Arapahoe County Public Works and Development, along with contractor partner Concrete Express Inc., will begin the $25.64 million Iliff Avenue Corridor Improvement Project between South Parker Road (CO 83) and Quebec Street this week. Once complete, this highly anticipated project will greatly improve this important two-mile throughfare in Arapahoe County.  

 

Planned improvements to Iliff Avenue include: a four-lane corridor with acceleration and deceleration lanes, intersection safety modifications, bike lane and additional ADA-compliant sidewalk installations, transit stop enhancements, multi-use path/crosswalk improvements, traffic signal optimization with signal detection and video monitoring, and equipment upgrades. 

 

Motorist and pedestrian safety improvements and increased multi-modal access highlight the improvements being made to this heavily traveled East-West corridor.   

 

“After a large amount of work by the Arapahoe County project team, the much-anticipated Iliff improvements are going to construction,” Arapahoe County Transportation Division Manager James Katzer said. “The County looks forward to completing this project and improving this corridor for all users.” 

 

Construction begins the week and will continue for 18 months, with work beginning near South Parker Road (CO 83) and moving west towards Quebec Street as improvements progress. 

 

“This is already a main artery for this part of the County, and we look forward to how this project will improve mobility and sustain our quality of life for residents and visitors as our population continues to grow,” said Arapahoe County Board Chair Nancy Jackson.  

 

TRAVEL IMPACTS  

Expect daytime and nighttime construction impacts. Intermittent daytime and nighttime lane closures should be expected. Minor impacts to bicycle and pedestrian access will be required. Access to transit stops will be maintained throughout construction.  

 

WELD COUNTY –Colorado Highway 52 closed to through traffic between Weld County Road 73 and WCR 77 on Aug. 9 through early September. During the full closure, CDOT and the contractor team led by Martin Marietta will make extensive repairs to the bridge over Lost Creek and resurface CO 52 between WCR 73 and 77. 

Work involves removing and replacing portions of the 63-year-old structure. The six-mile signed detour route will direct traffic around the work zone using WCR 73, WCR 16 and WCR 77.

The bridge work is part of a larger project to resurface CO 52 near Prospect Valley. Over ten miles of CO 52 between Weld County Road 73 and WCR 95 (Mile Points 44 – 54.5) will receive a new asphalt surface. In most areas, the roadway will be rebuilt from the ground up using a method called full-depth reclamation. 

“Asphalt overlays and surface treatments have helped maintain the CO 52 since it was first paved. The corridor is now due for major work to address issues below the pavement. With full-depth reclamation, we’re able to pulverize the existing asphalt pavement in place and reuse it as part of the new and improved base layer,” said CDOT Regional Transportation Director Heather Paddock. 

This project will also repair the bridge over Kiowa Creek, upgrade guardrail, replace mailbox posts and install new roadside delineators. By the end of the year, drivers will enjoy a smoother highway with roadside safety enhancements. Project completion is anticipated in December 2021. 

Please be aware of the following conditions in the work zone between WCR 73 and WCR 95:

• Expect various mobile construction operations Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. – 5 p.m.
• Lane closures and traffic holds with flaggers, pilot vehicles or temporary traffic signals will be utilized
• Vehicles will be held at intersections and driveways while equipment passes through to ensure product quality and safe operations
• Temporary rough riding surfaces will be present until paving is finished
• Speed limit reductions and width restrictions will be in place as needed

Construction schedules are weather-dependent and subject to change. Weekly updates are available on the project web page.

 

Stay Informed

For additional information about this project, contact the project team. 

Project hotline: 970-735-9975

Project email:

Project web page: https://www.codot.gov/projects/co52-prospect-valley-resurfacing

Travelers are urged to “know before you go.” Gather information about weather forecasts, anticipated travel impacts and current road conditions prior to hitting the road. CDOT resources include:

• Road conditions and travel information: www.COtrip.org 
• Project or travel alerts: bit.ly/COalerts
• Scheduled lane closures: codot.gov/travel/scheduled-lane-closures.html 
• Social media: Twitter @coloradodot and Facebook facebook.com/coloradodot

Remember: Slow For The Cone Zone

The following tips are to help you stay safe while traveling through maintenance and construction work zones.

• Do not speed in work zones. Obey the posted speed limits.
• Stay Alert! Expect the unexpected.
• Watch for workers. Drive with caution.
• Don’t change lanes unnecessarily.
• Avoid using mobile devices such as phones while driving in work zones.
• Turn on headlights so that workers and other drivers can see you.
• Be especially alert at night while driving in work zones.
• Expect delays, especially during peak travel times.
• Allow ample space between you and the car in front of you.
• Anticipate lane shifts and merge when directed to do so.
• Be patient!

About CDOT

CDOT’s Whole System-Whole Safety program has one simple mission — to get everyone home safely. Our approximately 3,000 employees work tirelessly to reduce the rate and severity of crashes and improve the safety of all modes of transportation. The department manages more than 23,000 lane miles of highway, more than 3,000 bridges and 35 mountain passes. CDOT also manages grant partnerships with a range of agencies, including metropolitan planning organizations, local governments and airports. It also operates Bustang, the state-owned interregional express bus service. Gov. Jared Polis has charged CDOT to further build on the state’s intermodal mobility options. 

Issued for eastern Colorado

Issued at 8:00 AM MDT, Monday, August 9, 2021

Issued by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

Affected Area:  Logan, Sedgwick, Phillips, Morgan, Washington, Yuma, Elbert, Lincoln, Kit Carson, Cheyenne, Teller, El Paso, Pueblo, Crowley, Kiowa, Otero, Bent, Prowers, Huerfano, Las Animas, and Baca Counties. Locations include, but are not limited to Sterling, Julesburg, Holyoke, Fort Morgan, Akron, Wray, Kiowa, Hugo, Burlington, Cheyenne Wells, Pueblo, Ordway, Eads, La Junta, Las Animas, Lamar, Walsenburg, Trinidad, and Springfield.

Advisory in Effect:  8:00 AM MDT, Monday, August 9, 2021 to 9:00 AM MDT, Tuesday, August 10, 2021.

Public Health Recommendations: If smoke is thick or becomes thick in your neighborhood you may want to remain indoors.  This is especially true for those with heart disease, respiratory illnesses, the very young, and the elderly.  Consider limiting outdoor activity when moderate to heavy smoke is present.  Consider relocating temporarily if smoke is present indoors and is making you ill.  If visibility is less than 5 miles in smoke in your neighborhood, smoke has reached levels that are unhealthy.

Outlook:  Heavy smoke from California wildfires will continue to move into Colorado and spread across the plains of eastern Colorado throughout the day on Monday and into Tuesday morning.  Expect the heaviest smoke impacts in sheltered valley locations where atmospheric mixing is more limited. Some clearing is anticipated in areas of southern Colorado on Monday and Tuesday, however residual health impacts may linger from prolonged exposure to elevated smoke concentrations.

For the latest Smoke Outlook, visit:
http://www.colorado.gov/airquality/addendum.aspx#smoke

For more information about smoke and your health, visit:
http://www.colorado.gov/airquality/wildfire.aspx

For the latest Colorado statewide air quality conditions, forecasts, and advisories, visit:
http://www.colorado.gov/airquality/colorado_summary.aspx

Social Media:
http://www.facebook.com/cdphe.apcd
http://twitter.com/cdpheapcd

Due to a building heating and cooling issue, Arapahoe County Public Works and Development’s Lima Plaza office (6924 S. Lima St., Centennial) will be closed to the public Aug. 4- 6, 2021. Many services can be accessed online. The office will reopen during normal business hours on Monday, Aug. 9. If you need immediate assistance, please contact the appropriate Public Works and Development work group. www.arapahoegov.com/publicworks

DENVER (AP) _ Numerous areas of the U.S. West and Midwest were under air quality alerts on Sunday as wildfire smoke lingered over much of the country.

Alerts were in place across much of the northern U.S. Rockies, including portions of Colorado, Wyoming, Washington state and Idaho.

Further to the east, smoke from fires burning into Canada triggered pollution alerts in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa.

Wildfires emit huge volumes of microscopic smoke particles that researchers say can be harmful if breathed in and lead to both immediate and long-term health impacts. Children, the elderly and people with underlying health conditions are particularly at risk.

BRIGHTON, Colo. – Barr Lake State Park is holding a Ladies Fly Fishing 101 clinic on Tuesday, Aug. 3 from 5:30-8 p.m. This is a class for beginners and all ages are welcome. Park staff is providing all the equipment necessary along with the instruction. To register for the event, please click here. See what other events Barr Lake State Park is hosting by visiting its Facebook page. For a full listing of other clinics, seminars and courses offered by Colorado Parks and Wildlife, please visit our website.