The town of Snowmass Village is planning a critical infrastructure repair project that will result in a five-minute detour for motorists heading to the Upper Village this summer.
The project calls for the repair of several aging pipes, including the culvert below Brush Creek Road where it intersects with Owl Creek Road. Traffic will be rerouted to Highline Road to reach Owl Creek Road from approximately June 1 until Nov. 1.
While the detour will be inconvenient, town officials said there’s no option: The work has to be done.
“It’s critical because the culvert has started to fail,” said Anne Martens, the town’s public works director. “The pipe is separated and it also has changed its original shape. Last summer, we started seeing a dip in the road and structural failure, so we bridged it to get through this winter. The pipe needs to be replaced.”
The detour will be similar to the one used during the Labor Day Experience put on by Jazz Aspen Snowmass. In addition to the culvert, crews will address aging water, sewer and gas pipes, as well as some telecommunications utilities.
The existing corrugated metal culvert will be replaced with a three-sided precast box culvert that will allow for further connectivity to carry the creek from one side of the road to the other.
The town is asking for the community’s understanding.
“The big thing is it’s basically a five-minute detour to get from point A to point B,” Martens said. “We understand it’s inconvenient, but it’s a vital project for our community, and it takes patience.”
On Monday, Martens updated the Snowmass Village Town Council on the project and discussed ways to alleviate some of the inconvenience on motorists. Council members suggested encouraging people to use public transportation and proposed implementing temporary shuttle stops along Brush Creek Road and lowering the speed limit. Martens said that staff will continue discussions about alternative transportation options in the coming weeks.
Residents weighed in on the project, including members of the Meadow Ranch neighborhood, which is located on Owl Creek Road in the detour area. They said they were concerned about the detour being handled effectively and how information will be shared with the community.
Residents and council members also asked about the town’s emergency plan, should something happen during the project.
“Emergency services are well aware of this project,” Martens told the council. “It’s going to be lights and what-not. We are talking to the fire department about [an] idea of, do they want to stage equipment on the other side? So we’re talking through those details.”
The town will have an open house at Town Hall from 4-6 p.m. on May 4. Martens said that the town plans to have more information at that time about transportation, emergency planning and other details. Information also will be shared on the town’s website as it becomes available.