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Petition against Routt County road privatization proposal gains steam

Scott Franz
Commissioners voted to privatize Routt County Road 18C despite pleas from cyclists, birders and artists who value the public road along the Yampa River.
Scott Franz

— Routt County Commissioner Tim Corrigan hasn’t decided how he’ll vote next month on a controversial proposal to privatize a short, scenic county road known for its wildlife-viewing opportunities south of Lake Catamount.

But he’s hearing from several constituents about it, and he thinks the decision will come down to a balancing act.

“My bias is typically to maintain as much public access to open areas in Routt County as we can,” Corrigan said Tuesday. “But on the other hand, there’s certainly a balancing of the costs … If in fact we do choose to vacate that road, my idea would be to take a portion of that money (that we currently spend maintaining it) and set it aside for other multimodal kinds of projects.”



Routt County’s Road and Bridge Department is recommending that the county allow private property owners to take over the maintenance obligations of the entire road.

The move would save the county money but would disallow public use of the road except for visitors on their way to the historic Rehder Ranch in Lake Catamount.



Citing data he recently received from Road Bridge Director Janet Hruby, Corrigan said the county is ultimately paying about $10,000 a year to maintain the short .3 mile stretch of paved road and the bridge over the Yampa River for the public.

Corrigan questioned whether continuing to maintain this road, which doesn’t lead to any public lands, is the best use of taxpayer dollars.

“It’s pretty hard to justify spending $10,000 a year to keep a 900-foot section of road open for anyone’s benefit,” Corrigan said.

County Road 18C serves three private properties, including the Lake Catamount subdivision.

Catamount funded recent paving and bridge improvements, according to Hruby.

Hruby did not respond to a voicemail from Steamboat Today last week inquiring about the costs of maintaining the road.

Cyclists and birders are currently waging a campaign to protect the public’s right to use the road, which offers views of wildlife and the Yampa River.

As of Tuesday afternoon, a petition started by Routt County Riders President Jack Trautman had garnered more than 200 signatures.

“I’m signing because access to the Yampa River in Routt County is already more than 95% privatized, and this is a significant issue of accessibility,” Megan Walker, of Steamboat Springs, wrote. “CR 18C provides a rare opportunity for individuals with physical limitations to access a treasured public place and engage in viewing the natural world safely.”

Meanwhile, the county has received 12 letters supporting the privatization of the road from private property owners who are currently served by it.

The letters represent a large majority of the property owners who use the county road to access their property.

The road proposal will be the subject of a planning commission meeting April 20.

Commissioners are expected to weigh in May 23.

To reach Scott Franz, call 970-871-4210, email scottfranz@SteamboatToday.com or follow him on Twitter @ScottFranz10


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