KEEPING YOU INFORMED This month's issue features information on our Fleet Team, one of our incredible training programs, and a look at some of the projects being worked on throughout the County. We hope this newsletter helps you learn more about how we serve you, your neighborhood, and El Paso County. THE ROADWAY I S S U E 8 • A U G U S T 2 0 2 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction • P.1 Message from the Director • P 2 What Does the Fleet Team Do Anyway? • P.4 Featured Projects • P 9 Year to Date Stats • P.11 The Winding Road to In House CDL Training • P.5 A New Way of Looking at Roads • P 7 Share Your Stories • P 8 Corridor Preservation Plan Open for Public Comment • P.6
MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR J A C K L A D L E Y I N T E R I M D I R E C T O R
We often talk about the fact that County government touches almost every person in our community, and that is particularly true when it comes to our County owned infrastructure PG 2 Our Department of Public Works employees are dedicated and diligent, and their work instills confidence in all of us. However, what is often lost in the conversation on transportation infrastructure is the shear size of El Paso County and its roadway network. El Paso County covers 2,158 square miles, an area larger than the State of Delaware For additional perspective, our roadway network consists of 4,406 miles of paved and gravel roads. If laid end to end, this network would stretch from the City of Colorado Springs to Belfast, Ireland! Through continued and sustained investment in our transportation infrastructure, our goal is to ensure these assets are here for generations to come and, just as importantly, are safe and reliable.
PG 3 Despite the size of El Paso County, its transportation infrastructure,
Employees remain
or emergency
transportation
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cannot
denied. 561 Right of Way Permits Processed 27,837 811 Locates Completed 2,122 Stormwater Inspections Completed 574 Scheduled Vehicle Work Orders Completed 2,293 Unscheduled Vehicle Work Orders Completed 5,106 Potholes Repaired 22 Miles of Roadway Crack Sealing 1,129 Miles of Street Sweeping 7,850 Linear Feet of Stormwater Ditch Cleaned/Repaired 3,851 Linear Feet of Guardrail Repaired/Replaced 632 Signs Repaired/Replaced 511 Traffic Signal Maintenance Action
A network this size requires constant and dedicated attention Our Public Works Employees, although a relatively small team, deliver this needed attention on a daily basis. So far this year they have completed paving projects on County Line Road, Baptist Road, Shoup Road, and Milam Road. are currently working to complete paving projects on Woodmen Road and Syracuse Street with additional paving projects in the proverbial ‘hopper’ that are ready go.They’ve also completed 7,750 miles of gravel road maintenance, 107 lane miles of dust abatement and reclamation, 50 lane miles of graveling, and 51 lane miles of chip seal. Following is just a smattering of additional accomplishments thus far this year: and the volume of infrastructure safe and reliable, your Department of Public Works “Ready and Resilient”. Whether it is ‘regular work’ as noted above, response to critical infrastructure impacting events such as floods, fires and the Public Works Team is ready to go. It’s not glamorous, and it’s definitely most importance be
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work required to keep this
often dirty work, but its
PG 4
The Fleet Team has 35 full time positions available, including technicians with expertise ranging from vehicle and equipment repair to welding and automotive body repair. Currently, the Fleet Team has filled 27 of the 35 available positions, with only 18 of those being maintenance and repair technicians.
Fleet provides preventive maintenance services and repair to 470 units ranging from light duty vehicles to heavy construction equipment and 800 components, attachments, and small equipment. Each shop is capable of performing almost any level of maintenance in house, from a simple oil change to major component replacements, including engine and transmission work.
Daily, Fleet technicians are assigned to perform either routine preventive maintenance or major repairs. On a given day, technicians are regularly reassigned to higher priority repairs to ensure County departments can complete their operational requirements, including being deployed to on site service calls, where technicians are sent to repair vehicles and equipment at the job site.
The Fleet Team manages 12 internal fuel sites, including their usage Charged with upfitting and installing aftermarket accessories and graphics on vehicles Uses mobile fuel trucks to deliver directly to vehicles and equipment at work sites Operates a full automotive body shop, including collision repair and a paint booth Runs a welding shop that allows for repair, modification, and fabrication FAST FACTS
So, if you're interested in being a part of the team, we're interested in talking to you about it!
The Fleet Team is tasked with the asset management of all County vehicles and equipment, including their procurement and disposal There are three County maintenance facilities
WHAT DOES THE FLEET TEAM DO ANYWAY?
FLEET
To respond to this mandate, El Paso County took the initiative and created a full time CDL trainer position to respond to this need and to keep it in house. Prior to this mandate, we did all our own in house training with some awesome trainers, usually from our Truck String. However, the need for open seats and available trainers to accommodate all of the new employees was complicated.
THE WINDING ROAD TO IN-HOUSE CDL TRAINING
Erin Vera, who came from the Truck String and was a consistent and thorough trainer then, now fills this full time position. To date, she has helped seven people achieve their Class B CDL, with four employees currently working on their Class A license. This is about a $4,000 benefit to a new employee just starting with us and just another great benefit of coming to work for El Paso County!
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The new ELDT program, Entry Level Driver Training, is not a new program, but was mandated by Congress back in 2012. Challenges at the state and federal levels caused the roll out of the program to be delayed at the county level. It was finally implemented on February 7, 2022, and is up and running successfully! In building out this new program, The Federal Motor Carrier took a system that essentially had no documented training and no nationalized standards for training and turned it into a program that now has a regimented tracking system as well as much-needed classroom theory. This is in addition to the behind the wheel training portion that was always in place but is now led by a certified instructor that tracks hours and requires 80% minimum test scores in both areas in order to advance and take the CDL test.
The Corridor Preservation Plan and Access Control Plan will be available for public review and comment until Friday, September 16 Citizens are encouraged to review the Plan and provide their comments by visiting the information page at www.briargate stapleton.com.
The public is encouraged to share anything they feel should be considered as part of the planning process.
El Paso County, in partnership with the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority, has announced the release of plan documents for the Briargate Parkway Stapleton Road corridor project. With this step complete, El Paso County is opening the topic up for public comment. This is your opportunity to give your input and feedback regarding a project happening right here in your county!
The website also includes interactive maps of the area, as well as a virtual public open house showcasing the project overview, road corridor studies, and frequently asked questions.
Once the public comment period is complete, the plan will continue through the approval process with the Highway Advisory Committee, the Planning Commission, and the Board of County Commissioners
PG 6 NEW CORRIDOR PRESERVATION PLAN OPEN FOR PUBLIC COMMENT
A NEW WAY OF LOOKING
The Streets Resurfacing Projects Public Map provides an interactive display of ongoing construction maintenance projects throughout El Paso County Formerly, this kind of information was mainly accessible in tabular form through the Engineering Cone Zone updates, but this map allows citizens to readily and more easily see where the Department of Public Works projects are planned, in construction, or complete. Additionally, citizens can see the type of work (concrete, paving, seal work, etc.), commissioner district, which contractor is doing the work, and the estimated start and completion dates It's like you're sitting in Interim Director Jack Ladley's chair!
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If you want to check out the map for yourself, you can find it right in the middle of our Public Works webpage, or if you digital readers prefer convenience, simply click here!
Introducing the Street Resurfacing Projects Public Map! (No need to contain the oohs and aahs, we know how exciting this is) AT ROADS
One of the great things about being a part of the Department of Public Works is the ability to see all of the awesome changes that take place in the county on a daily basis. From concrete and paving to various types of seal work, these jobs help improve our roadways and make it safer for everyone to travel. And now, there's a great way for you to keep up with all of the work we're doing!
SHARE YOUR STORIES PG 8 With The Roadway, the Department of Public Works has the opportunity to share our story with El Paso County. A big part of that story is the work that we do for the county's citizens. For us to hear the full story though, we need the help of the citizens we work so hard for! That is why we're calling on YOU to help share our story! Did a friendly employee help mitigate flooding in your area? Maybe a recent road project made your daily commute that much better. Or perhaps you're preemptively thankful for the many snowplows that help keep El Paso County's roads clear during severe weather. Either way, we want to hear about it! To share your story, simply follow this link or scan the QR code on this page. Don't forget to include pictures if you have them. We love pictures! You may even see your contributions in future issues of The Roadway
PAVEMENT MARKING PROJECT PG 9
The planned work will take place on CO State Highway 83 from MP 20.36 to 30.24.
The project work zones are spread across several counties in southeastern Colorado, but here we will focus on the work being done in El Paso County
The Colorado Department of Transportation and prime contractor, RoadSafe Traffic Systems, will begin pavement marking work across nine highways in southeastern Colorado on August 21 This project will focus on the removal and replacement of median and shoulder striping. The project will be broken into two phases, one occurring in the fall from August until late October and one in the spring of 2023 from March until June. During the winter, work will cease and there will be no impacts to traffic.
Crews will primarily be working nighttime hours throughout the duration of the project Work will occur from 7:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., Sunday night through Friday morning. Single lane closures are expected intermittently in each project location with at least one through lane of traffic open at all times. These lane reductions may slow traffic but are not anticipated to cause delays. For real time lane closure information, or to sign up to receive email notifications for project updates, please visit www cotrip org
TRAVEL IMPACTS
CONSTRUCTION NEAR FORT CARSON PG 10
The Colorado Department of Transportation and contractor SEMA Construction will temporarily close southbound I 25 and CO 16 (Mesa Ridge Parkway) on and off ramps for paving activities Ramp closures are scheduled from 7 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. nightly, Wednesday, August 24 through Friday, August 26 and Sunday, August 28 through Thursday, September 1.
In addition, on Thursday night, August 25, there will be a right lane closure on northbound I 25 (between Mile Point 127 131) for guardrail repair.
TRAVEL IMPACTS
Please use the signed detour route. Fort Carson personnel should consider using alternate gates. Head to head traffic is still in place on I 25, separated by a temporary barrier with 11 ft lanes and 2 ft shoulders. The new traffic configuration will be in place 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Normal working hours will be 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Friday. The speed limit in this area has been reduced to 55 MPH. Slight traffic delays are expected and motorists are urged to use extra caution while traveling in the new traffic pattern.
Southbound I 25 / CO 16 Northbound I 25 (between MP 127 131)
Wednesday, August 24 through Friday, August 26, and Sunday, August 28 through Thursday, September 1, 7 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. nightly, ramp closures at southbound I 25 and CO 16/Mesa Ridge Parkway (MP 132) so construction crews can perform concrete paving work. A traffic switch is currently in place from S. Academy Blvd. and CO 16. Use extreme caution Thursday night, August 25, 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., right lane closure for guardrail repair.
POTHOLES35.7% SIGNAGE20.6% GRADING18.6% TRASHREMOVAL13.3% ANIMALREMOVAL11.8% WORK IN REVIEW (YTD) LANE MILES SERVICED CUSTOMER SERVICE REQUESTS COMPLETED CUSTOMER SERVICE REQUESTS TOP CUSTOMER SERVICE REQUESTS (YTD 2022) 5670 5670 POTHOLES REPAIRED 364 364 53 53 MILES GRAVELED 134 134 MILES DUST ABATED PG 11
EL PASO COUNTY PUBLIC WORKS 3275 AKERS DRIVE COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO 80922 719.520.6879 WWW PUBLICWORKS ELPASOCO COM
