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.

Current Public Works Projects

Transportation & Transit Studies

Neighborhood Traffic Calming

Transportation Advisory Board

Floodplain Management

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.

Compliance Review

Some of the major disciplines the Engineering Division reviews for compliance include:

Overlay
Streets that require repaving are resurfaced with varying thicknesses of hot asphalt.

Slurry & Chip Seals
Surface rehabilitation of streets that are structurally sound, but need improved skid resistance to extend their life.

Crack Filling

This is done to prevent the infiltration of water that accelerates erosion and potholes.

Parking

Construction of new, and modification of, existing lots to provide the Town with the highest possible density of vehicles in a safe and well flowing manner.

Signs
Placement of all street signs, including regulatory, warnings and street names. The latter are manufactured in-house. All others are placed in accordance with the MUTCD.

Drainage

Public Works maintains all roadside drainageways and reviews all new construction of it for compliance.

Bridges

The Town maintains and reviews the engineering and maintenance of six downtown bridges and seven local street bridges. Structural integrity of all bridges is inspected every other year by a specialized consultant and reports are generated. Several state highway bridges are inspected and controlled by CDOT. There are also approximately 11 private bridges on the Fall River that also carry private responsibility by the individual owners.

Grant Acquisition
Public Works has been extremely successful in acquiring state support for a variety of construction projects and remains proactive in its use of all available funding to achieve a higher standard of living for the community and visitors.

Trails
Public Works has actively pursued the desires of the local community to develop a trail network throughout the Estes Valley. Working collaboratively with the Estes Valley Trails Committee, the Town has adopted the Estes Valley Master Trails Plan and are coordinating trail construction/repairs to align with that plan. The Master Trails Plan articulates a vision for trails in the Estes Valley and is a culmination of an 18-month public process initiated by the Estes Valley Recreation & Parks District (EVRPD) in January 2015 and completed in June 2016.

Development Review / Drainage Planning & Review

Development Review

The Engineering Division is a critical player in the review of all commercial and residential construction within the Town of Estes Park.

The following list contains some of the important aspects that are reviewed during these processes.

Roadway and transportation network
Drainage
Pedestrian trail connection
Grading
Landscaping
Density
Parking
Wetlands
Floodplain compliance

Drainage Planning & Review

All storm water ways are reviewed for compliance with applicable laws. All new subdivisions must meet Standards and go through Planning Department and Engineering Department review processes. All drainage systems, culverts and detention basins must be designed with good engineering practices.

For more information please contact Public Works at 970-577-3587 or publicworks@estes.org.

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Engineering