The second phase of improvements to a heavily used truck route northeast of Fort Lupton is set to begin. Last week, the Weld County Board of Commissioners approved the temporary closure of Weld County Road (WCR) 22 between U.S. 85 and WCR 31 from July 22 through Oct. 31, 2024. Project detours can be found on the Weld County Road Advisory Map.
Much of the work during the three-month closure will focus on strengthening the road’s structure and rebuilding the driving surface, a process that involves removing a portion of existing asphalt, incorporating it into the road’s subgrade before applying new asphalt through full-depth reclamation (FDR). FDR is used on many county road projects and allows crews to reuse a portion of the road’s existing asphalt, assuming it’s in good condition. Recent successful rebuilds using FDR include WCR 77 between Highway 14 and WCR 100 and Two Rivers Parkway, which were each completed in 2023. Work on WCR 22 will also involve replacing culverts as well as strengthening a bridge.
The project follows a successful rebuild of WCR 22 between WCR 31 and WCR 41 in 2022. Similar to that rebuild, this phase will look to strengthen a portion of the road that has seen consistent use. Approximately 1,807 vehicles travel on WCR 22 between U.S. 85 and WCR 31 daily, according to the Weld County Department of Public Works. As WCR 22 serves as one the county’s haul routes, strengthening the road’s structure is necessary to ensure it can continue to meet demand.
“A road rebuild may take a bit longer than simply applying more asphalt, but the end result is a road that can withstand increased demand for years, and in the long run it saves taxpayer money, versus simply repaving,” said Curtis Hall, Director of the Weld County Department of Public Works. “While the driving surface may be the most notable part of a road, it’s only good as what’s underneath it, and we believe this road rebuild will best serve the traveling public.”
