Mesa County wins statewide pavement award; board approves 2026 surface treatment contract

Mesa County officials on March 3 highlighted a county pavement program that won a statewide award and approved the next phase of work.

Josh Springer, construction group manager for the county's engineering division, told the Board of County Commissioners that the Colorado Asphalt Pavement Association recognized Mesa County's 2025 surface treatment project as the best in the state in the surface treatment category. Springer said the program treated 132 roads, more than 50 lane miles of residential and collector streets and over 60 cul-de-sacs at a cost he cited in the meeting.

Springer credited a shift to in-house pavement management and "data-driven decisions" using Pavement Condition Index (PCI) assessments to direct treatments, and said the county has expanded its toolbox to include cape seals and slurry seals to stretch limited dollars. He said the work was largely planned, managed and inspected in-house, with only material testing contracted to Roxall Consulting Group.

The commissioners then approved a $2,298,270.51 contract with Vance Brothers LLC for the county's 2026 surface treatment project, which Laura Page, engineering division director, said covers roughly 20 miles of residential and collector streets in the Fruitvale area (between about 29 and 31 Road north of I-70). Page told commissioners the contract came in under budget, that competition for bids is helping reduce unit costs, and that the low bid may allow the county to add streets or prepare additional work for next season.

Springer and Page both stressed minimizing community disruption: Springer noted coordinated crews and scheduling that reduced citizen complaints and described special logistics at a signalized intersection near Rocky Mountain Elementary School to limit impacts to students and parents.

The board approved the contract by unanimous vote.