Lookout and Spine Roads get makeover

Anyone who has tried to navigate Lookout Road or Spine Road knows about the traffic delays caused by street reconstruction. According to the City of Boulder website, street reconstruction included removing the existing pavement and sub-grade. The roadway is then reconstructed with six to eight inches of new asphalt.

Traffic delays up to 15 minutes have been the norm. The project ran from Sept. 26 to Oct. 20.

Anybody traveling on 71st Street in Gunbarrel knows that it needs repair too. According to Melanie Sloan, City of Boulder Transportation Division, the city assesses roads every three years. Roads are given a rating, worst to best, on a scale from zero to 100. When asked she was not sure where 71st Street was in this process.

Sloan added that since 71st Street is partly in the county and partly in the city, there needs to be a coordinated effort if the street is going to be repaired. The county and the city do work together on road repair as illustrated by reconstruction of 75th Street. Sloan said that city transportation was able to dovetail repairs with the county.