Design is underway for shoulder widening and a roundabout on a section of East County Line Road, just southeast of Longmont.
East County Line Road, also known as Weld County Road 1, is shared by Boulder and Weld counties. Boulder County is the lead agency for the two mile section of road that they plan to widen between Quicksilver Road and a point about 1,000 feet south of Pike Road/Weld County Road 20.5.
Tim Swope, who handles capital projects for Boulder County, explained during a public meeting Wednesday that the work will add seven-foot-wide paved shoulders — including a two-foot painted buffer lane between the travel lanes and the shoulder — for both north and south bound travel.
“They provide more room for walking or riding bikes alongside the road,” he said. “They also provide better safety margins for large vehicles, people breaking down, that kind of stuff.”
The road will remain two lanes, but will see a new roundabout at East County Line Road and Pike/Weld County Road 20.5. The intersection currently has north and south bound traffic flowing freely, while east and west bound traffic are given stop signs.
“This location definitely warrants some sort of traffic control,” Swope said, noting that the main movement in the intersection causing issues is southbound left turns.
While the county contemplated traffic lights at this intersection, it was decided that a roundabout would be the best choice. Instead of stopping traffic, the roundabout would slow down traffic instead.
Flood work will also be included as part of the project, including replacing the structure that runs over Dry Creek along this stretch of road and improvements to Leggett Ditch, which runs the distance of the road in this project.
The project is expected to cost $5.8 million, split between Weld and Boulder counties. The Boulder County portion of the cost is funded from the 0.1% transportation tax.
Swope said the schedule for the project is unknown at this time, with this year focused on design. He expected permitting, agreements and funding to take another year with a likely start scheduled for 2025.
There may be potential road closures from the project as needed, but Swope said Boulder County would send out notifications well before construction begins.
