Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — Motorists accustomed to driving along County Road 14 and 14F will need to find another route.

Routt County will close the intersection of the two roads to all traffic Monday to begin reconstruction of the Y-shaped intersection.

County officials hope the improvements minimize the number of accidents that occur at the intersection.

Changes to the intersection became a priority for county officials last summer, after the death of a 12-year-old Loveland boy.

The road closure applies 24 hours a day.

No traffic is permitted once the closure takes effect, said Lou Gabos of the county's Road and Bridge Department.

Reconstruction will shape the dangerous Y-shaped intersection into a T-shaped intersection.

Construction crews will lower the road and create one entrance that runs perpendicular to C.R. 14.

"The advantage of closing the road is that he (the contractor) has the opportunity to work more hours on the road itself," Gabos said.

The county awarded the contract to R.N. Robinson & Son, a contractor based in Hayden.

The county estimated the project would cost $402,453, but the bid by R.N. Robinson & Son asked for $355,371.

If the road closure applied only during the day, he said, construction crews would have to prepare the road for traffic every morning.

Such preparations require manpower and time that would be better spent on actual reconstruction of the intersection, Gabos added.

Closure of the two county roads will no doubt inconvenience some people, he said, but total closure allows for a shorter reconstruction period and minimizes the cost to the county.

The contractor has 70 calendar days to complete the project, with the projected completion date set for Aug. 30.

"That time may be shortened even more (because) the contractor is allowed to have the road closed," he said.

The county has placed several signs that warn motorists of the reconstruction on roads that lead to the intersection of C.R. 14 and 14F.

The 4-by-8 yellow signs are posted near the Tree Haus subdivision, the intersection of C.R. 14 and C.R. 22 and the intersection of Colorado 131 and C.R. 14F.

The signage is placed at enough places to make motorists aware of the reconstruction before they get too far out, Gabos said.

He said speed plays a large factor in the number of accidents at the intersection of C.R. 14 and 14F.

A yellow arrow notifies motorists of a sharp curve at the top of the hill, but motorists who take the curve too quickly can easily lose control of their vehicles.

Anyone who wants more information about the project should contact the Road and Bridge office at 879-0831.