Larimer County has received a federal safety grant to straighten the switchback on Stove Prairie Road about halfway between Colorado Highway 14 and County Road 52E. Weather permitting, work is scheduled to begin on the 800-foot stretch of road at the end of April and be completed by July 4.
“The project will eliminate the steep switchback curve by cutting down the crest of the hill,” explained Joe Temple, project manager for the county. “We’ve had lots of accidents in that area, especially motorcycle accidents, so that’s why we got the federal grant, to make it an easier grade.”
Temple said that county crews began clearing trees and doing other prep work for the project at the end of February. Stove Prairie Road will remain open during construction, with alternating traffic lanes creating delays of about 10 minutes, he added.
The county posted bid documents for contractors on its website at www.larimer.org on Feb. 9. Bids for the $280,000 project will be opened on March 1.
Support Northern Colorado Journalism
Show your support for North Forty News by helping us produce more content. It's a kind and simple gesture that will help us continue to bring more content to you.
BONUS - Donors get a link in their receipt to sign up for our once-per-week instant text messaging alert. Get your e-copy of North Forty News the moment it is released!
Click to Donate
This is not right, federal grant money can be best spent on education or research. I know that curve and there has not been much done to absolve it by adding speed bumps or other precautionary devices, which cost way less than hundred of thousands of dollars. Not to mention all the trees that will be destroyed by the costly interventions, where there are better ways to solve speeding cars, next the cars will be crashing in the creek on the other side of the meadow.