Grand County delays paving on County Road 5221, directs staff to advance County Road 1 project

Grand County Road and Bridge presented a revised 2025 asphalt plan that asks commissioners to postpone paving a center segment of County Road 5221 (labeled 5221C) and to consider reallocating the budget to add about 850 feet of County Road 522 (near Red Hawk Ranch) and a longer section of County Road 1 (from Highway 9 to the gravel pit). Road and Bridge Superintendent David Buckley told the board that 5221C needs substantial rebuilding — “we would at minimum have to raise that road 5 feet at its lowest point and shave off the top of those arches on each end” — before paving, and that paving it now could increase vehicle speeds across a blind crest and shorten the pavement’s useful life. Buckley estimated the County Road 1 segment would cost about $500,000; the board discussed shifting part of the $301,200 budgeted for 5221C toward County Road 1 and adding roughly $120,000 to finish other work, but commissioners agreed that mobilization and equipment differences mean the county could only realistically pursue one larger project this year. Commissioners directed staff to obtain firm cost estimates for building up 5221C (a structural rebuild and culvert enlargement), and to move forward with paving County Road 1 if estimates support that decision. The board also agreed to delay paving 5221C until additional maintenance can be completed and the county can better coordinate with near-term construction activity that would otherwise damage newly paved surfaces. Commissioner discussion referenced contractor mobilization, dust-control concerns for nearby residents (magnesium chloride), and recent or planned development traffic on County Road 522.