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County, Denver Mountain Parks and Evergreen Fire conclude Castlewood Drive is not a safe evacuation route
Summary
After a work session with Evergreen Fire Rescue, Denver Mountain Parks and county staff, commissioners agreed Castlewood Drive should no longer be treated as a primary evacuation route; the county and partners will issue a coordinated statement and Denver Mountain Parks will provide required notice to end the 2014 memorandum of understanding.
Clear Creek County commissioners and public-safety partners concluded Sept. 2 that Castlewood Drive, an historic two-track route above Echo Hills, should not be relied on as a public evacuation route during a wildfire and agreed to work together to clarify the public record.
Why it matters: Evergreen Fire Rescue, Denver Mountain Parks and county public-works staff told the board the single-track route cannot safely handle vehicle evacuations in a wildfire scenario. Officials said the road lacks year-round two-wheel-passenger-car access, has no mitigation or adequate turnouts, and could itself become a hazard that blocks firefighter access or traps evacuating residents.
During the work session, Evergreen Firewildland coordinator Jess Moore and Evergreen staff explained that the county updated its Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) and no longer recommends Castlewood Drive as an evacuation corridor. Jeremy Jones of the Clear Creek Fire Authority and Carl Shell, the countypublic works director, described the road as effectively a single track in places. Jones said Castlewood can be useful as an operations line for firefighters in certain incidents but is not safe for mass vehicle egress.
Commissioners and staff discussed Sinton Road as the preferred evacuation route; county staff said Sinton Road has received recent improvements (widening, paving and drainage upgrades) that make it more suitable for two-way traffic and managed evacuations. Staff recommended focusing public outreach and mitigation funding on roads that can safely move large numbers of vehicles.
The county and Denver Mountain Parks staff discussed the 2014 memorandum of understanding that previously identified Castlewood as an evacuation route. Denver Mountain Parks representatives said they plan to move forward with dissolving that MOU; staff asked only that Denver provide the MOUrequired 90-day notice in writing so the county and partners can coordinate public messaging.
Commissioner direction and next steps: commissioners asked county communications staff to draft a joint statement with Evergreen Fire Rescue and Denver Mountain Parks to explain the change to residents in Echo Hills and nearby neighborhoods. The board and partners also agreed to use the work as an opportunity to highlight household evacuation planning and to hold further outreach events in the Echo Hills neighborhood.
No formal vote was required; the session was recorded as a work session and staff were given direction to proceed with signage, public outreach and a coordinated public notice once Denver Mountain Parks provides the formal MOU termination notice.
