Engineering

The Engineering Division handles planning, design and construction oversight of Public Works transportation and drainage capital projects, which includes issuing Requests for Proposals and Bids, administering contracts, directing engineering design teams, and managing construction contractor work. The Town's 1A Sales Tax initiative (Street Improvement Program - STIP) provides funding for annual pavement maintenance (e.g. chip seals, crack sealing, patching, and overlays of Town streets and parking lots) that is managed by the Engineering Division. The Engineering Division is also responsible for authorizing construction in public Rights of Way, transportation engineering and long-range transportation planning with state and federal agencies. The Engineering Division participates as a member of the Development Review Team, reviewing plans related to proposed development for compliance with Town codes and standards. The Town of Estes Park's Floodplain Administrator is an employee of the Engineering Division and is responsible for review and approval of floodplain permits and all other Floodplain Management responsibilities.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Right-of-Way Permits

A right-of-way (ROW) is a piece of property that lies between private lots, within which roadways and utility mains are constructed. Any work (excavation, construction, culverts, driveways, overhead lines, etc.) within the ROW requires a permit. This permit is issued by the jurisdiction within which the work is taking place, such as State, County or Town. For work in the CDOT ROW, permits are required from CDOT and the Town of Estes Park Public Works Department.

 

In Estes Park, permits cost a $50 flat fee, plus $200 for excavation within the asphalt roadway and additional fees for length of work. See details in the General Specifications - ROW guidelines. ROW permit applications must be submitted no less than 3 days prior to and no more than 30 days prior to excavation.

 

Right of Way Guidelines

Permit Application Form

 

All work within the ROW requires a call to the Utilities Notification Center of Colorado at 800-922-1987 to verify utility locations - this is a free service.

 

Questions?  Contact Public Works at 970-577-3587 or publicworks@estes.org.

Road & Traffic Responsibilities

CDOT Liaison & Highway Traffic Management

The Public Works Department acts as a local liaison between the citizens of Estes Park and the Colorado Department of Transportation. Since CDOT only has engineering offices in Boulder and Greeley, it is often very important for the local Public Works engineer to review the issues at hand and relay them to CDOT, often with suggestion. The Colorado Department of Transportation is divided into several divisions that all work in different capacities, including signals, signs, striping, design and maintenance. The Town engineers work closely with all these divisions to achieve the desired results and acquire what is best and most safe for our community.

 

Pavement Management

Public Works manages the street network of Estes Park with a computer-based program called PAVER™. This windows-based program is a powerful tool in managing our pavements. Roads must be managed, not just maintained. A pavement management system (PMS) is defined as a set of tools for performing condition surveys and condition prediction, and developing work plans with the objective of optimizing spending. A PMS uses engineering technology to determine when, where, and how to best maintain roadways. It provides the needed leverage to preserve the infrastructure investment. PAVER™ assists the Engineering Division to organize, plan and budget for pavement management. It offers prediction modeling and analysis for long term future control of all aspects of pavement management. Pavement management improvements are primarily funded through the Town's 1A Sales Tax Ballot Initiative - Street Improvement Program (STIP).

 

Roadway Management

Public Works oversees many facets of construction & maintenance to the roadway systems in Estes Park. The Town of Estes Park's Public Work's Department references several guides as adopted by the Town Trustees.

• MUTCD - Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices
• CRS - Colorado Revised Statues
• 1999 Colorado Highway Specifications and M Standards (CDOT)
• Right-of-Way Permit Application and Construction
• Larimer County Urban Area Standards

Traffic Counts

The Public Works Department maintains a database of traffic volumes per street. State Highways 34 & 36 are counted electronically on a daily basis by CDOT. Public Works accesses the CDOT Online Transportation Information System (OTIS) to collect the counts on a monthly basis and posts the updates to the Transportation and Transit Studies webpage.