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Rio Blanco commissioners discuss County Road 5 (Burke Ridge) design standards and timing; no vote taken
Summary
Commissioners reviewed engineering options, floodplain standards and timing for County Road 5 (Burke Ridge) replacement/repair and directed staff to continue analysis and outreach; no formal action was taken Sept. 30.
Rio Blanco County commissioners on Sept. 30 discussed options and engineering standards for the County Road 5 (Burke Ridge) replacement/repair project but did not take a formal vote.
County staff said SGM engineers initially proposed designs tied to the 100-year floodplain standard; staff and commissioners discussed whether to require the 2022 FEMA/County-adopted 100-year floodplain engineering (which CDOT and federal grants would likely demand) or to base design on more recent, localized hydrologic records. Staff advised that a CDOT grant or loan would likely require the 2022 floodplain standard and could increase the project size and cost.
Engineers described two acceptable design paths: a two-cell concrete box culvert or a bridge replacement sized to pass a design event of approximately 1,100 cubic feet per second based on available hydraulic analysis; staff said that 1,100 cfs would match historic hydraulic records but would not meet FEMA’s 100-year standard (which the FEMA data suggested could be about 5,000 cfs for the basin). Commissioners and staff also discussed recent fire impacts and the potential for larger flood flows because of changed watershed conditions.
Several commissioners urged planning for a worst-case scenario and quicker contingency options to restore the road if the bridge is lost; staff said alternative routes (County Road 13) exist but emphasized funding and design constraints. Staff offered to request an earlier inspection from the firm scheduled to do state off-system bridge inspections in 2026 or to have SGM’s certified bridge inspector perform a county inspection earlier; the board asked staff to pursue CDOT coordination and to raise the item at the upcoming Northwest TPR meeting.
County staff said funds for the County Road 5 and County Road 17 projects were included in the 2025 budget reserves and that they would confirm exact reserved amounts with the county finance officer. Commissioners did not authorize a specific design or contract at the Sept. 30 meeting and directed staff to continue outreach and to report back.
