95th Street construction slated to start May 1

Warmer temperatures and increased sightings of yellow-vested flaggers in the area can mean only one thing— the 2019 road construction season is officially underway. This year, Boulder County Transportation is gearing up for a busy one in and around Niwot, so drivers may want to plan ahead.

95th Street

The longest project of the summer—the rebuilding of 95th Street between Lookout and Plateau Roads—is set to launch on Wednesday, May 1, with a projected completion date in October. During that roughly five-month period, the four-mile stretch will be widened to increase shoulder widths and also stripped to gravel and repaved.

Transportation communication specialist Andrew Barth said that contractor Brannan is planning to do the project in four phases, with each lasting five to six weeks. Phase one will be the 1.5 mile stretch between Monarch on the south and Oxford on the north, and including the intersection with Niwot Road. That is expected to take the majority of May. Phase two will be Oxford to Plateau, and is expected to last until early July. Phase three from Monarch to Lookout is scheduled for July and August and then it’s on to phase four where they will put on the finishing touches.

“When you fully strip a road of paving down to the dirt, there’s two paving runs you have to do—a bottom lift and a top lift,” Barth explained about the upcoming project. “We’re going to do the bottom lift and then leave the top lift and do the whole thing in one felled swoop….then there’s the the final striping, signage, landscaping, and all of that good stuff.”

This project will require frequent lane reductions, so flaggers will be on hand to direct traffic and conduct safety escorts. Drivers who frequent 95th Street during this time can expect delays during daytime hours between Monday and Friday.

“No nights or weekends anticipated with this one,” Barth said.

Nor does he expect any outright closures during the project, although workers will have to briefly shut down intersections during paving operations.

“So that east-west movement will be affected. It takes about 15 minutes to get through an intersection with a pave, so we’re hoping 15-20 minute closure is the longest they’ll have to do.”

Drivers can also expect to encounter gravel on the roadway periodically.

Quiet zones

Work is finally underway on the long-anticipated railroad quiet zones planned for six intersections along the Diagonal.

On April 8, crews started erecting warning signs and painting brighter stripes at what Barth called “the three easiest ones,”—2nd Avenue in Niwot, and 55th Street and Independence Road in Boulder. These crossings are just in need of surface enhancements to comply with Federal Railroad Agency quiet zone standards. Work should be done within two weeks, though the weather may have different ideas.

Later this spring, the county will launch more extensive construction projects at Jay, Monarch, and Niwot Roads in order to bring these crossings into compliance.

“Those are going to be the bigger lifts,” Barth said. “Monarch will be the tricky one because we’re going to have to close the road for two weeks at that crossing. They are going to install a whole new median, new asphalt, and signing and striping—the whole works there.”

The Monarch Road closure is slated for May 6 through May 22, and cars will be detoured to 79th Street.

Work on the Niwot Road quiet zone is scheduled for June 1o-21, and while there won’t be any prolonged closures, there will be lane shifts during the day, so drivers can expect delays there as well.

Niwot and Neva Roads

Later this summer, the county will also be repaving in three separate areas of town—Niwot Road between the Diagonal and Walker Drive; Neva Road between Franklin and North 83rd streets , and Burgundy Drive north of Niwot Road. Barth said these are just resurfacing projects, and shouldn’t cause any undue delays. He also said they’re trying very hard to get them completed by the start of the 2019-20 school year in August.

Road Construction Open House

The public is invited to learn more about these projects directly from transportation officials at an open house on Wednesday, April 24 from 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. at Rocky Mountain Christian Church (9447 Niwot Road). For more information, visit http://www.BoCoConeZones.com, or contact Andrew Barth at 303-441-1032 or [email protected].