Weld County Road 5 Improvement Project Begins March 14

Beginning March 14, the Town of Erie will kick off the continuation of the WCR 5 Improvements Project. As a reminder, this project started in the summer of 2021 with utility work in and around the roadway. The next six phases of work will ultimately increase safety for vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists and will improve traffic flow through the area.
 
Included in the plans for the WCR 5 Improvement Project is to:

• Widen WCR 5 along the whole corridor
• Extend turn lanes where possible
• Add bike lanes along both sides of the roadway
• Extend sidewalks for added pedestrian options
• Add a traffic signal at WCR 5 and Flora View (north entrance to Soaring Heights)

This project is planned to help facilitate better traffic flow and create a safer pedestrian and bicyclist environment. The benefits to completing this project are many, but the Town does understand that the construction period for this project will create significant changes for parents, students, teachers, and community members who regularly commute through this area.
 
To mitigate the impacts as much as possible, the Town of Erie has been working with St. Vrain Valley School District, to work around major events such as graduation, and is working in collaboration with the Front Range Landfill to lessen large truck traffic through the area as much as possible during construction. The timeline for this project is unfortunately anticipated to last longer than the summer holidays and will need to begin before the school year ends and would possibly extend into the beginning of the next school year. After discussing options with the impacted stakeholders, it was decided that beginning before the end of the 2021/2022 school, year was the best option. While the current schedule anticipated completing the work prior to the start of the 2022/2023 school year, there may be some schedule impacts due to weather, supply chain issues, or other unforeseen situations that adjust the overall timeline. If such impacts occur, the Town and the school district will communicate those changes to the public.

Phasing of Work

To complete the work in an expedited and safest way possible, the roadway will be full closed in both directions during each phase of work. This will require specific detours to access either Soaring Heights Elementary or Erie High School. If the contractors attempted to complete the work with single lane closures, flaggers, or some other way of maintaining two-way traffic, the project would exponentially increase in length and introduce other possible safety concerns.
 
The Town of Erie will be approving each phase of the work as it is about to begin. This allows for flexibility and implementing best practices and addressing any lessons learned between phases. There are six planned phases for this project, all of which have draft timelines and plans that will be adjusted and approved as the project progresses.
 
The first phase of work is planned to begin on Monday, March 14. Active construction hours are from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m or dusk.
 
Phase 1:

• Where: Full closure of WCR5 from the north entrance of Soaring Heights Elementary north to WCR10
• Planned timeline: March 14 – May 2 (NOTE: As always, timelines are contingent on weather, supplies, and other unforeseen situations)
• Work planned: Removal of existing asphalt, cut/fill grading per project plans, placement of base course, concrete curb and gutter, adding medians, related utility piping for services, landscaping, asphalt paving, striping, and signage up.
• Suggested Detours: All traffic attempting to reach SHE or EHS from the north would need to detour. To reach SHE take Horizon Avenue to Flora View Drive into the school. To reach EHS take Horizon Avenue to Colliers Parkway into the school. No detours necessary is approaching the schools from the south.

Motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists are urged to pay close attention to detours and traffic control signs. Please reduce speeds and, if possible, avoid the construction area altogether.
 
Any questions or concerns about the overall project plans can be emailed to construction@erieco.gov. Any questions or concerns about the construction work itself can be directed to the contractor, John Murnan with IHC Scott, at jmurnan@ihcscott.com or 720-490-7417. All residents are also encouraged to sign up for Cone Zone alerts from the Town to receive up-to-date information about this project and any others within the Town of Erie. All projects are also posted to www.erieco.gov/ConeZones. 

Phase 1 Map