A number of Pitkin County Government infrastructure construction projects will be postponed as a result of the recent Public Health Order shutting down all non-essential construction by March 31st.
Projects that will be put on hold include Phase II of the courthouse renovation, replacement of the upper Castle Creek Bridge, county road overlay, striping and crack sealing improvements on Maroon Creek Road, Glen Eagle Drive, Horseshoe Drive, Orchard Estates, Watson Divide, Owl Creek, Brush Creek, and McLain Flats roads. Other postponed projects include construction of the Pitkin County Landfill Operations building, the new baggage handling system at the Aspen/Pitkin County Airport and the completion of improvements at the Healthy Rivers and Streams Whitewater Park in Basalt.
“The good news is we were able to complete all of the in-river improvements for the whitewater park including the new “sneak” on river right that we think recreationalists will appreciate during high water this spring,” said Healthy Rivers Project Manager, Lisa MacDonald. “We’ve postponed some of the revegetation and other aesthetic rockwork at the park until after the shutdown is lifted,” MacDonald said.
Among the infrastructure projects considered essential for completion during the shutdown include the Castle Creek Trail and Crystal River Streambank stabilization.
“We need to stabilize the stream banks from erosion and the roadside from rockfall before spring runoff for safety reasons,” said Pitkin County Manager Jon Peacock.
Other Pitkin County infrastructure projects that will continue during the shutdown include a single-person dust control project on Watson Divide, moving forward with plans for safety improvements at the Pitkin County Jail and remote translator, broadband and public safety radio projects in rural Pitkin County.
Most of the major work on Phase I of the renovation of the Pitkin County Courthouse is expected to be completed on or near the March 31st deadline. Completion of Phase I is essential so that District and County court operations are ready to resume once the shutdown is lifted.
“We’ve met at length with Public Health and the Incident Management Team to discuss these essential infrastructure projects and have had the go-ahead to continue them with strict adherence to minimal crew size, no-car pooling and social distancing requirements along with any additional requirements issued in the most current or any forthcoming Public Health Order(s),” Peacock said.