Lower Buckhorn Road repairs begin 10 months after flood

A project aimed at reopening one of two flood-damaged Larimer County roads that have been closed since September has begun.

Construction crews last week started the work of rebuilding County Road 27, also known at the Lower Buckhorn Road, between Masonville and Stove Prairie.

Much of the work will be focused on a winding a 1.7-mile section of the road known as "the narrows," where flooding along Buckhorn Creek ripped out large sections of pavement and road base.

Four box-culvert bridges through the stretch will be replaced as part of the project and another bridge will be repaired. Many tons of rock will be used to stabilize the stream bank along the 24-foot-wide road.

The new road will be built higher on the steep canyon wall to protect it from future flooding, said Rusty McDaniel, assistant county engineer. About 50,000 cubic yards of rock is expected to be excavated by blasting to make way for the new road.

The $16 million project is expected to be complete by December. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, is expected to pick up 75 percent of the cost, with the remaining 25 percent split between the state and the county.

County officials had considered building a temporary detour to serve area residents as reconstruction of the road was under way. But concern about costs and failed discussions with property owners over the acquisition of right of way for the project led the county commissioners to abandon the idea.

"We're doing everything we can to make the permanent repairs and get the road open," McDaniel said.

Residents of the area have had to travel long detours through Rist or Poudre canyons to reach Loveland and other points to the south since the road was closed in September.

The contractor on the project is American Civil Constructors, the same company that has worked with the state in rebuilding U.S. highways 36 and 34, McDaniel said.

County officials are still negotiating with two property owners to acquire right of way for the permanent repairs, he said.

The other section of road that has remained closed since the flood is Larimer County Road 29 west of Loveland.