The Town of Estes Park maintains around 59 centerline miles of paved streets, which requires a successful pavement management program that utilizes a variety of techniques to repair pavement surfaces that have deteriorated and, more importantly, maintain roadway segments that are in good condition.
Public Works manages the street network of Estes Park with a computer-based program called PAVER™. This powerful pavement management system uses engineering technology to determine when, where, and how to best maintain roadways. It provides the needed leverage to preserve the infrastructure investment. The Windows-based PAVER™ assists the Engineering Division in organizing, planning, and budgeting for pavement maintenance. It offers prediction modeling and analysis for long-term future control of all pavement management aspects.
2023 Street Improvement Program
- 2023 Chip & Crack Seal Program
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The 2023 Chip & Crack Seal Program was awarded to Vance Brothers, Inc. of Denver, Colorado. Crack seal work is anticipated to begin on May 30 and will last 2 days. Chip seal work will begin in late July and is expected to last less than a week.
Crack Seal
This work consists of applying hot asphalt sealant to roadway cracks, effectively preventing water from penetrating the road surface and creating potholes.
Chip Seal
Chip seals apply crushed aggregate "chips" over emulsified asphaltic oil. The oil seals the underlying surface from water penetration while the chips provide a new wearing surface for traffic. Chip seals have proven to be a very cost-effective method of maintaining local roadways. Roads identified for chip seal treatment in 2023 include:
- Baldpate Ct
- Big Horn Dr
- Boyd Ln
- Cedar Ln
- Crags Ct
- Creekside Ct
- Darcy Dr
- Elk Hollow Ct
- Elk Meadow Ct
- Elk Ridge Ct
- Elm Rd
- Lawn Ln
- Monida Ct
- Morris Ct N
- Morris Ct S
- Pawnee Ln
- Pine Knoll Ln
- Sharon Ct N
- Sharon Ct S
- Spruce Dr
- Wapiti Cir
- Wapiti Dr
- Willow Ln
- 2023 Overlay & Patching Program
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The 2023 Overlay & Patching Program was awarded to Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. of Fort Collins, Colorado. Asphalt patching work is anticipated to begin in mid-June, then the roadway overlay work will be completed in July and August. This program is not expected to result in any full road closures, but lane closures and local detours will be necessary to complete the work.
This program consists of overlaying or removing (milling) the existing asphalt and then replacing it with a new asphalt surface. Roads identified for overlay improvements in 2023 include:
- Pine Knoll Dr
- Virginia Ln
- Virginia Dr
- West Elkhorn Ave
Larimer County Overlay
Larimer County expects to overlay portions of numerous county roads around Estes Park in 2023. Roads currently targeted for 2023 overlay improvements through a Larimer County contract include Dry Gulch Road, Fish Creek Road, and Marys Lake Road. For more information on this specific work, contact Larimer County Road and Bridge Department at 970-498-5650 or rab-admin@co.larimer.co.us.
2024 Pavement Management Plan
At the February 23, 2016, Town Board study session, Public Works presented the 2024 Street Improvement Program. This program was developed with the assistance of a piece of software called PAVER, which uses a variety of tools to help decide the best treatments for each road at the right time. By utilizing a blend of preventative maintenance (crack sealing, pothole patching, seal coats) and structural work (overlay, mill and overlay, reconstruction), Public Works intends to reverse the downward trend of our road conditions. The charts below show the budget distribution of the 1A tax dollars in this program, and how the Pavement Condition Index (PCI) of Estes Parks roads will increase from a value of 65 in 2016 to a value of 73 2024.
View the 2024 STIP presentation from the February 23, 2016 Town Board Study Session (Specific work shown is conceptual only, and subject to change based on various factors)
Maintenance & Repair
Preventative maintenance is a huge part of the 2024 STIP plan and is defined as a planned strategy of cost-effective treatments to an existing roadway system and its appurtenances that preserves the system, retards future deterioration, and maintains or improves the functional condition of the system (without significantly increasing the structural capacity). Preventative maintenance keeps good roads in good shape and, as the table below indicates, keeps maintenance costs down.
Water is the most destructive element to our pavements, and most of the treatments and techniques utilized are designed to address this issue. Cracks in pavements allow moisture to penetrate the surface, which causes pavement material failure. Failure to seal cracks results in further cracking, potholes, and eventually a major pavement breakdown, leading to unnecessary expensive repairs. Below are some of the treatments and techniques that Public Works uses to treat our roads. For information on pothole repair, visit our Pothole Patching Page.
Pavement Treatments & Techniques
- Crack Sealing
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Cracks are sealed with a hot polymer/rubberized liquid asphalt to minimize water infiltrating the pavement base. Crack sealing is an extremely economical way of maintaining pavements. This method is very cheap and effective when compared to more extensive work such as resurfacing and reconstruction.
- Chip Seal
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Chip sealing is the application of crushed aggregate or gravel (chips) over an emulsified asphaltic oil. The oil seals the street from water penetration while the chips provide a wearing surface for traffic. Chip sealing is a preventive maintenance treatment that rejuvenates old asphalt and creates a new riding surface.
- Slurry Seal
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Slurry sealing is the application of emulsified asphalt (a mixture made from oil and fine sand aggregate) to an existing pavement. This treatment also seals the street from water penetration. Slurry sealing is a preventive maintenance treatment that extends the life of pavement while providing a smooth new riding surface.
- Asphalt Overlay
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An asphalt overlay generally consists of placing a new layer of asphalt pavement material over existing pavement. Preparatory work such as asphalt patching, edge milling, and utility adjustments should be completed prior to any overlay work. Overlays are less expensive than complete street reconstruction and result in smoother and stronger pavement.