Miles of Road
Date posted: 09/29/2009
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To meet reporting requirements of the Highway User Tax Fund (HUTF), Colorado cities and counties must submit information annually about all streets and roads that are open, used, and maintained. These roadway statistics are compiled annually by the Colorado Department of Transportation.
Larimer County Public Works is responsible for the County's $400 million asset, its roads, and has developed a report card to measure their status in key areas. The report card tries to address the top three citizen questions:
- How safe is the road system?
- Is the road system being adequately maintained?
- How might roads change in the future?
A current grade for the network of roads is accessible at Transportation Report Card.
What this chart shows: Miles of County Road - Larimer County (excludes City/Town mileage), 2008
Data Source: Colorado Department of Transportation - Roadway Statistics
What this data tells us:
The roads maintained by Larimer County are 55% non-paved, gravel surface and 45% paved, concrete or asphalt surface. The decision to upgrade a gravel surface road is not a simple one. Many factors are involved in this process which includes annual maintenance, public safety, volume of vehicles and the increasing cost of asphalt and concrete products. The factors that impact cost of converting a gravel road to asphalt are total width including shoulders, thickness of asphalt, usually 4 inches minimum up to 7 inches depending on traffic volume and weight, and associated rework, such as culverts, base replacement, and alignment changes.According to Larimer County Road and Bridge, the major economic factor escalating costs is diesel fuel prices associated with the equipment necessary to do the work. The asphalt industry estimator examples under Additional Information depict the cost per mile in 2009 dollars for several example roads.
According to Appendix D of the Kentucky Transportation study 'When to Pave a Gravel Road', paving is a matter of tradeoffs. Paving gravel roads eliminates dust, is usually smoother, and accommodates vehicles such as tractors and trailers that do not operate well on gravel roads. However, the study states that in spite of the benefits of paving, a well-maintained gravel road can still accommodate traffic and may be cheaper and easier to maintain and can service the public for many years.
What this chart shows: Miles of Roads in Larimer County by Municipality, 1999-2008
Data Source: Colorado Department of Transportation - Roadway Statistics, 1999-2008
What this chart shows: Increase in Miles of Road in Larimer County Municipalities, 1999 to 2008
Data Source: Colorado Department of Transportation - Roadway Statistics, 1999-2008
What these data tell us:
Of Larimer County's municipalities, Fort Collins contained the most miles of road from 1999 to 2008, but Estes Park had the lowest percentage increase in miles (15.2%). The smaller municipalities had the largest percentage gains during those ten years, with Wellington roads increasing 162.5% or 24.2 miles, and Berthoud's 68.5% or 18.1 miles.What this chart shows: Miles of Road versus Vehicle Registration - Fort Collins & Loveland 2000-2008
Data Source:
- Colorado Department of Transportation - Roadway Statistics
- Larimer County Clerk's Office - Vehicle Registration
What these data tell us:
Between 2000 and 2008 the number of road miles and the number of vehicles registered in Fort Collins and Loveland increased by similar percentages. In Fort Collins the number of registered vehicles increased 19.4% where as the miles of road increased 19.2%. In Loveland, the number of registered vehicles increased by 37.2%, whereas the miles of road increased 33.5%.Additional Information:
The following graph depicts the cost differential in delaying road repairs. For example, if a road is allowed to deteriorate to poor condition, it will cost 4-5 times more to bring it back to acceptable conditions.
The examples below depict the cost per mile in 2009 dollars for several example roads. Estimates were provided by the Larimer County Road & Bridge Department.
|
One Mile of Road with 'X' Width |
Tons of material per mile |
2009 estimated price per ton |
Cost for paving one mile |
Other Incidental Costs (Patching, Milling, etc.) |
Total estimated cost per mile |
|
|
|
|
|||
|
Maintenance overlay of 24' wide road with two 2' wide paved shoulders (4' thick) |
3,650 | $50 | $182,500 | $55,000 | $237,500 |
|
Maintenance overlay of 24' wide road with two 8' wide paved shoulders (4' thick) |
5,215 | $50 | $260,750 | $80,000 | $340,750 |
|
One Mile of Road with 'X' Width |
Tons of material per mile |
2009 estimated price per ton |
Cost for paving one mile |
Other Major Expenses (Cut/Fill, Drainage, etc.) |
Total estimated cost per mile |
|
Rural road construction/ reconstruction (5' thick) including horizontal and vertical realignment |
6,519 | $50.00 | $325,950 | $350,000 | $675,950 |
|
Urban road construction/ reconstruction (7' thick) including horizontal and vertical realignment, curb, gutter, and sidewalk |
9,126 | $50.00 | $456,300 | $825,000 | $1,281,300 |
On Compass -
- Housing Section
- Population Size & Growth
- Public Transportation
- Vehicle Registration
- Vehicles Available Per Household
- Work Commute
Outside Compass -
- Colorado Asphalt Pavement Association
- Colorado Department of Transportation
- Larimer County Clerk's Office - Motor Vehicle Department
- Larimer County Road and Bridge Department
- National Asphalt Pavement Association | History of Asphalt
Standards or Targets: N/A
Data Tables:
Miles of County Road within Larimer County
|
Year |
Paved Miles |
Non-paved Miles |
Total Miles |
% Paved Miles |
% Non-paved Miles |
|
2000 |
453 | 564 | 1,017 | 45% | 55% |
|
2001 |
478 | 594 | 1,072 | 45% | 55% |
|
2002 |
478 | 588 | 1,066 | 45% | 55% |
|
2003 |
480 | 582 | 1,062 | 45% | 55% |
|
2004 |
480 | 583 | 1,063 | 45% | 55% |
|
2005 |
480 | 583 | 1,063 | 45% | 55% |
|
2006 |
473 | 577 | 1,050 | 45% | 55% |
|
2007 |
470 | 575 | 1,045 | 45% | 55% |
|
2008 |
467 | 573 | 1,040 | 45% | 55% |
Miles of Roads in Larimer County by Municipality
|
Berthoud |
Estes Park |
Fort Collins |
Loveland |
Wellington |
|
|
1999 |
26.3 |
47.8 |
413.5 |
231.5 |
14.8 |
|
2000 |
26.6 |
48.4 |
421.4 |
245.2 |
16.5 |
|
2001 |
28.3 |
51.1 |
436.8 |
262.7 |
18.6 |
|
2002 |
29.0 |
54.0 |
463.0 |
273.0 |
20.0 |
|
2003 |
30.9 |
54.1 |
471.5 |
289.4 |
27.4 |
|
2004 |
30.9 |
54.0 |
475.7 |
298.0 |
30.7 |
|
2005 |
33.3 |
54.8 |
485.4 |
305.6 |
32.4 |
|
2006 |
34.5 |
55.3 |
492.2 |
310.3 |
38.9 |
|
2007 |
44.3 |
55.4 |
500.3 |
321.3 |
38.9 |
|
2008 |
44.4 |
55.1 |
502.4 |
327.4 |
39.0 |
See chart - Miles of Road by Municipality
See chart - Percent Change in Miles of Road, 1999-2008
Miles of Road versus Vehicles Registered, Fort Collins & Loveland
|
|
Fort Collins |
Loveland |
||
|
Miles of Road |
Vehicles Registered |
Miles of Road |
Vehicles Registered |
|
|
2000 |
423.1 | 82,833 | 246.2 | 42,471 |
|
2001 |
436.8 | 86,644 | 262.7 | 46,194 |
|
2002 |
463.0 | 97,989 | 273.0 | 54,959 |
|
2003 |
471.5 | 97,362 | 289.4 | 56,008 |
|
2004 |
475.7 | 99,825 | 298.0 | 58,064 |
|
2005 |
485.4 | 101,118 | 305.6 | 60,574 |
|
2006 |
492.2 | 99,544 | 310.3 | 60,464 |
|
2007 |
500.3 | 110,592 | 321.3 | 68,208 |
|
2008 |
502.4 | 111,744 | 327.4 | 69,248 |