Road Conversions

\The applicant must hire a surveyor licensed in the state of Colorado to survey the road. The purpose of the survey is to verify the road is within the right-of-way and to verify the width of dedicated right-of-way meets the requirement for the road’s functional classification. If the road is outside the right-of-way or not centered within the right-of-way, either the road must be moved, or additional right-of-way must be obtained.

The dedicated right-of-way must have clear title and be accepted by the El Paso County Board of County Commissioners. If there is insufficient right-of-way for the proposed functional classification, additional right-of-way must be obtained. In many cases, the private road is located within a tract or easement. The underlying property must be converted to a public ROW. The minimum width that must be dedicated to El Paso County is 60 feet for a local rural road and 50 feet for a local urban road. In addition to the minimum ROW width, a 5-foot Public Improvement Easement must be granted to El Paso County on each side of the ROW. All existing easements shall be vacated prior to County acceptance. Fences impinging on the ROW must be moved to ensure they are on the property line and not within the public ROW. Specific right-of-way requirements are based on functional classification of the road and are outlined in Tables 2-5 and 2-7 of the Engineering Criteria Manual.

The applicant must hire a licensed geotechnical engineer to collect soil samples. The geotechnical engineer must provide soils information and, if the road will be paved, a pavement thickness design based on the existing soil types. Pavement design criteria are outlined in Appendix D of the Engineering Criteria Manual.

Assessing the drainage conditions and identifying necessary culverts or ditches is needed to minimize high water flow impacts on the surrounding properties and road. Stormwater requirements also need to be addressed.

One of the main considerations for traffic in this process is the number of daily trips on the road. The average number of trips generated by a detached residential home is approximately 10. If more than 200 daily trips are generated, a paved road is required by the current County criteria. Note: paving may also be required if there are no gravel roads in the area.

The applicant must hire a qualified environmental professional (Q.E.P.). The qualified environmental professional must provide a “Transaction Screen (TS)” for review and consideration. The TS shall be prepared by a qualified environmental professional in accordance with American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Standard E1528 “Standard Practice of Environmental Site Assessments: Transaction Screen Process.” Based on the Department’s review of the TS, the residents may be required to present to the Department a Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment (Phase 1 ESA) for review and consideration. If required, a Phase 1 ESA shall be prepared by a qualified environmental professional in accordance with ASTM Standard E1527, “Standard Practice of Environmental Site Assessments: Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment Process.”

The applicant must hire a professional engineer licensed in the state of Colorado to develop construction plans constructing a gravel road or converting the gravel road to a paved road. The plans must meet all criteria outlined in the Engineering Criteria Manual for the road’s functional classification. The plans must be stamped and signed by the project’s Engineer of Record and submitted to the Planning and Community Development Department for review. The plans must be approved and signed by the County Engineer or approved designee before construction can commence.

The applicant must set up Financial Assurance in accordance with Section 1.17 of the Engineering Criteria Manual. The amount of financial assurance must be determined in accordance with Appendix H of the Engineering Criteria Manual.