County Road 44H Aggregate Quarry

Background

 Larimer County owns and maintains over 200 miles of non-paved roads in western Larimer County alone. These roads provide essential access to residents, businesses, recreational users, and emergency services. Maintaining this roadway system requires a reliable and sustainable supply of aggregate that can keep pace with ongoing road maintenance needs.

The County’s existing Front Range gravel quarry, the Strang Pit, plays an important role in meeting aggregate demands for the Front RangeRoad with solid fill roads due to its proximity to those roads. Using this gravel aggregate where it makes the most sense helps the County use its gravel wisely to ensure it is available for decades. However, maintaining non-paved roads in western Larimer County also requires aggregate sources closer to those areas. 

To meet this need, Larimer County Road and Bridge is pursuing small, local, geographically diverse aggregate quarries in western Larimer County. Strategically placing small quarries near the roads they serve helps extend the life of the Front Range gravel resource, reduces long haul distances, and limits County-wide impacts. This strategic approach also helps limit the effects of gravel production and road maintenance closer to the communities that depend on these non-paved roads. 

As part of this effort, Larimer County has partnered with Colorado State University to redevelop an existing gravel quarry on CSU property near the Mountain Campus to address the maintenance needs of the roads in the Pingree Park Area.

 

 

Map of proposed project area for County Road 44H Aggregate Quarry

 

Checkmark with solid fillCheck back for project-related updates

 

  Project Details
Project Alternative
Impacts & Protection Measures
Permitting & Regulatory Oversight
Public Review & Comment Opportunities
FAQS

 

Project Benefits

 

This Project will help create long-lasting, sustainable roadway surfaces on Pingree Park Rd., Buckhorn Rd. west of the USFS Ranger Station, and Pingree Hill Rd. Building an improved all-weather surface creates a more durable road surface, results in smoother driving conditions, reduces the need for frequent spot repairs, and allows for more effective snow removal and dust suppression.

 

White Larimer County pickup truck on gravel road with snow piled high on each side.

Improved road conditions will provide

  • Better access for emergency service vehicles (i.e., quicker response times for wildfire and other emergencies)
  • Reliable access for residents, recreational users, and CSU Mountain Campus staff and visitors

Locating a quarry in the area where road improvements are needed limits the impacts of gravel production and road maintenance to the communities and users who benefit from the roadway maintenance.

 

Using a local quarry:

  • Extends the life of the County’s Strang Pit in the Front Range.
  • Reduces the need to haul gravel over 50 miles from the Front Range.
  • Reduces County-wide impacts, such as transportation cost, wear and tear on County roads, traffic congestion, and emissions on long-haul routes.

The proposed site is located on a portion of CSU property that contains a dormant aggregate quarry. 

  • Redeveloping an existing quarry reduces the impact on undisturbed land and allows for proper reclamation of the area. 

 

Aerial view of existing site conditions
Aerial view of existing site

Rendering of aerial view of reclaimed conditions
Rendering of aerial view of reclaimed conditions

Developing a small, local quarry near the roads to be maintained is more economical than hauling aggregate from the County’s Strang Pit or purchasing it from a commercial supplier.

  • Having small, geographically diverse quarries in western Larimer County extends the life of the Front Range quarry and creates redundancy and flexibility in a critical resource needed to maintain County roads.
  • Having multiple quarries reduces Larimer County's susceptibility to the future potential cost fluctuation of commercial aggregate supplies.
  • Larimer County staff and equipment will be used at the site, which makes efficient use of labor and equipment the County has already invested in. 

Larimer County lowboy truck hauling crusher on gravel road with blue sky
Mobilization of crusher to local site