Arapahoe County approves submission of FHWA PROTECT planning grant for four resilience projects

The Arapahoe County Board of County Commissioners on Wednesday approved submitting a PROTECT planning grant application to the Federal Highway Administration for four transportation‑resilience projects.

Brian Weimer, Director of Public Works and Development, said the county will bundle four projects into a single PROTECT application to seek planning dollars with no local match required. The projects named by staff include design work for a replacement at the Gun Club Crossing of Coal Creek; design work at the Watkins Road crossing of Muskrat Gulch and Coyote Draw; a study to identify communities with only one way in and out and options for secondary emergency access; and a corridor planning study to evaluate an east–west connection from Quincy out toward Deer Trail.

Jim Kotzer, Public Works staff, described the crossings as low‑water locations where a larger bridge may be required. He told commissioners that the Gun Club location could require a significant structure — staff discussed order‑of‑magnitude construction estimates in the tens of millions — and said Watkins Road had an incident in 2023 in which three cars were swept off the roadway and one person died.

Weimer said the PROTECT application is for planning dollars only; construction would require separate construction funding. Staff noted the NOFO allows partial awards, so the county may be awarded some but not all of the four projects. The planning funds would be available in 2025, staff said, and would be used to identify projects and priorities and to prepare future construction grant applications.

Staff identified preliminary cost ranges discussed during the meeting: design and construction estimates for a larger replacement at the Gun Club crossing were described in the meeting as in the tens of millions of dollars (presented as roughly $15–25 million), Watkins Road replacement was discussed at about $5–7 million, and prior budget estimates for a related crossing had been $4 million before staff increased the requested amount to $5.5 million to include contingencies. Staff emphasized these numbers as preliminary planning estimates.

The board indicated support by voice and hand signals; the record shows four thumbs up and one commissioner absent. Staff said county consultants and the sheriff’s office helped assemble the application; consultants mentioned by staff included LSI and regional grant planner Dr. Cog, and internal team members included Stephen Buckley and John Waningman.

Action and next steps: the Board approved submission of the PROTECT planning grant application; staff will prepare letters of support and submit the application to FHWA. If awarded, staff will use planning funds to develop designs and to pursue construction funding in later grant rounds.