Pavement Management Program

Cracks in the pavement are sealed to prevent moisture from entering the base and sub-base of a roadway, reducing pavement failures and potholes and extending the pavement life.

This is the most cost-effective treatment for preserving and extending pavement lifespan.

Asphalt rejuvenation is used on streets to restore the original pavement properties that degrade over time by oxidation and weathering. The rejuvenation process happens in three steps:

1. An oil-based emulsion is sprayed onto the street.
2. A layer of washed sand is applied on top of the emulsion to minimize tracking of the emulsion onto nearby surfaces during the 24-hour curing process.
3. The street is then swept the next day to remove the sand.

In response to questions from the community regarding the asphalt rejuvenation program, staff will be providing more advanced notice and additional signage before future treatments begin. View the Asphalt Rejuvenation FAQs for more information.

Chip seal is a surface application used to prolong the life of an existing street by applying a liquid asphalt membrane binder (“seal”) and a layer of small crushed stone (“chip”) over the existing street surface. Chip seal typically extends the useful life of the existing pavement by eight to 12 years and is typically used on residential or lower-volume streets.

Streets that receive a chip seal typically require asphalt, curb and gutter repair in preparation for the actual chip seal application. The chip seal process does not significantly affect traffic but does require that parking be removed from the street while the work is being completed. The chip seal process typically takes two to three days. Typically, one to two days later, a thin layer of liquid asphalt “fog coat” is applied on top of the stone chips to provide further sealing of the pavement. The final step is sweeping the streets to remove any remaining chips that have come loose during the process.

Asphalt resurfacing, or overlays, are used on higher-volume roads or lower-volume streets that have deteriorated to a point that a chip seal or other pavement preservation treatments are no longer effective. An overlay typically requires some level of removing the existing surface by grinding, either along the edge or the full width of the street, depending on the condition of the street.

The overlay process generally occurs in several phases:

1. Removal and replacement of deteriorated curbs and gutters, as well as reconstruction of selected sidewalk ramps to conform to Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) criteria.
2. Two or more inches of the existing pavement section is removed through the roadway milling process.
3. After the removal is completed and the roughened surface is thoroughly cleaned, a fresh layer of asphalt will be laid down through the paving process.

The overlay process at times may include a phase to remove and patch some areas of the street that have extensive wear or damage beyond the surface of the pavement. The existing asphalt pavement and subgrade are removed from the roadway and then reconstructed with six to eight inches of new asphalt pavement.

At times, streets deteriorate to a point that requires total reconstruction of the pavement structure. Streets requiring reconstruction will typically require similar steps as an overlay, with pedestrian ramp and curb and gutter repair, but the entire pavement section is removed, the subgrade is reconditioned and new asphalt and striping is completed.

The existing pavement and sub-grade are removed and the roadway is reconstructed with six to eight inches of new asphalt.

Moorhead Avenue serves as an important corridor for local and regional trips, providing key connections to University of Colorado Boulder campuses and nearby schools, the local on- and off-street bike network and the US 36 Bikeway, and RTD bus service. In addition to the 3,000 average daily vehicle trips on Moorhead, it also serves as a critical corridor for bike, scooter and transit trips.

The city will repave Moorhead Avenue between 27th Way and Table Mesa Drive in summer 2024 as part of the Pavement Management Program (PMP). The posted speed limit is 25 mph, however, speed data collected on the corridor suggests most drivers are traveling up to 10 mph over the posted speed limit (the 85th percentile speed collected is 35 mph). Due to the importance of Moorhead in the transportation network and the collected speed data, the city will coordinate mobility enhancements with scheduled repaving as a cost-effective and efficient way to make the street safer for people walking, biking, rolling, driving and taking transit.

For questions about the Moorhead Avenue Mobility Enhancements project, contact Daniel Sheeter at 303-441-3297 or sheeterd@bouldercolorado.gov.

How We Listened

The City of Boulder conducted community engagement for the Moorhead Avenue Mobility Enhancements project from December 2023 to March 2024. Staff collected community feedback and shared initial designs at two in-person events, a Corridor Walk (Jan. 6) and an Open House (Feb. 13), and a virtual questionnaire with open house materials available for review via Be Heard Boulder (Feb 28 to March 6)*. Event notifications were posted throughout the neighborhood and online, and shared with Creekside Elementary School, Martin Acres Neighborhood Association (MANA), Neighbors United of South Boulder (NUSoBo), High Mar Apartments, Alvarado Village, Coronado Apartments, Union Baseline, and other corridor-adjacent properties. City staff also presented to the Transportation Advisory Board (TAB). The Jan. 8 TAB recording and Feb. 12 TAB recording are available online.

Staff conducted additional outreach to residents adjacent to proposed splitter island locations to ensure that questions or concerns about access or mobility were addressed.

*Materials from the in-person open house and virtual questionnaires available upon request.

What We Heard

At the corridor walk on Jan. 6, city staff heard from community members a desire for traffic calming and more comfortable bike facilities on Moorhead Avenue. Residents and neighbors also expressed concerns of limited visibility at pedestrian crossings and transit stops due to on-street parking. 28 community members attended the walk and talked with city staff for over an hour.

The majority of community members who attended the in-person open house and responded to the virtual questionnaire in February and March expressed support for elements of the design: the restriping design, traffic calming measures, intersection visibility and bus stop access improvements, and connections to 27th Way and Table Mesa Drive. About 30 community members attended the in-person open house and 71 community members responded to the virtual questionnaire. There was not a clear preference for one type of traffic calming device over another between online questionnaire respondents and in-person open house attendees who filled out a comment card. Through both the open house and questionnaire, some neighbors voiced preferences for additional traffic calming and improvements to the bike lanes. These may be considered as separate projects in the future.

Based on data collected, citywide design and construction standards, and what we heard from the community, several project improvements will make the street safer for everyone.

• A combination of speed cushions and splitter islands will be installed along the length of corridor to bring vehicle speeds closer to the posted 25 mph speed limit. Splitter islands will be co-located with major crossings at Martin Drive, Bear Creek Multi-Use Path and 42nd Street. Speed cushions will be installed at either end of the corridor and near 38th Street.

• To further help lower speeds, the vehicle travel lanes and the parking lane will be narrowed by 1 foot each. After repaving, the centerline will not be striped.
• The southbound bike lane will be upgraded to a buffered bike lane.
• The northbound bike lane will be widened to 6 feet.
• “No Parking Anytime” signage will be added to locations where parking is currently prohibited per citywide code to reduce conflicts with driveway access and increase safety for and visibility of people walking and rolling, crossing the street, and accessing transit. Per Boulder Revised Code 7-6-13, parking is prohibited within intersections, within 20 feet of all crosswalks or intersections, and within 5 feet of all driveways and in bus stops.

The anticipated timeline may change.

1. Late fall 2023 to January 2024: Sidewalk, curb and gutter repairs; Ramp upgrades to meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards.
2. January to March: Community engagement for mobility enhancements.
3. Week of March 18: Pre-construction activities, such as no-parking-anytime signage for construction and temporary striping layout.
4. Week of March 25: Concrete construction activities in preparation for north and south end improvements; splitter island install.
5. Week of April 1: Completion of concrete construction activities.
6. May: Repaving, restriping, and installation of speed cushions and remaining signage.

Work follows a data-driven approach informed by analysis of speeds, crash history, operational impacts, industry best practices, our Transportation Master Plan, Low-Stress Walk and Bike Network Plan, Vision Zero Action Plan, and what we heard during Safe Routes to School community engagement at Manhattan Middle School.

The mobility enhancements are located within the two-block stretch of Baseline Road between Foothills Parkway and 55th Street and will be implemented at three key locations:

• Between Brooklawn Drive and 55th Street: One travel lane in each direction will be repurposed to create space for dedicated right-turn lanes at all side streets and bike lane buffers with vertical separation provided by flexible delineator posts. This enhancement connects to recently installed tall curb-separated bike lane improvements on Baseline Road west of Foothills Parkway. It also improves the intersections at Manhattan Drive/Crescent Drive and 55th Street by shortening the distance people crossing Baseline Road are exposed to vehicle traffic. Areas where people driving and bicycling interact near intersections, called mixing zones, will also be updated to meet current city standards.
  • Vehicle lane repurposing can reduce prevailing speeds by up to 5 mph, and the vertical friction from bike lane separation can reduce speeds by an additional 2 mph. This lessens the severity of crashes if they do occur for all road users by moderating vehicle speeds. Repurposing lanes also reduces the potential for a common type of crash identified in the Vision Zero Action Plan – collisions between vehicles and pedestrians/bicyclists crossing the street – by reducing the number of lanes people walking and biking have to cross.
• Manhattan Drive intersection: There will be a new dedicated right-turn lane to Manhattan Drive to improve intersection operations and access to Manhattan Middle School and neighborhoods to the south.
• The median between Manhattan Drive and 55th Street: A short median segment will be narrowed to extend the eastbound left-turn lane and provide space for bike lane buffers.

The existing vehicle lane configuration at the intersections with Foothills Parkway and 55th Street will not be changed.

Context Map

Context Map Long Description

This is a text alternative to the image. A map shows Baseline Road from just west of Foothills Parkway to just east of Gapter Road. Currently, there are on-street bike routes on Baseline Road east of Foothills Parkway, Mohawk Drive, Crescent Drive, Manhattan Drive, 55th Street, and Gapter Road. Protected bike lanes exist west of Foothills Parkway on Baseline Road. There are multi-use paths parallel to Foothills Parkway and along South Boulder Creek south of Baseline Road. There are 11 RTD 225 bus stops on this section of Baseline Road.

The extents of repaving are from Foothills Parkway to just west of Gapter Road. The extents of the mobility enhancements are from Brooklawn Drive to west of 55th Street and include one travel lane in each direction being repurposed to create space for dedicated right-turn lanes at all side streets and post-separated bike lanes. One of these dedicated right-turn lanes is at Manhattan Drive for vehicles traveling eastbound on Baseline Road. There is another dedicated right-turn lane at Crescent Drive for vehicles traveling westbound on Baseline Road. The eastbound left-turn lane on Baseline Road at 55th Street will be extended by modifying the median. Vehicle lane configurations are not changing on the approaches to the intersection of Foothills Parkway and 55th Street. These mobility enhancements connect to the Manhattan Middle School Safe Routes to School project on Manhattan Drive south of Baseline Road, which will begin construction in 2025.

The anticipated timeline may change due to weather or contractor availability.

1. Mid-April 2024: Community notification of project.
2. Late April/Early May 2024: Median concrete work approximately 250’ west of 55th Street.
3. Late July/early August 2024: Repaving and restriping.

For questions about the Mobility Enhancements project on Baseline Road east of Foothills Parkway, contact Daniel Sheeter at sheeterd@bouldercolorado.gov or 303-441-3297.

Whitter Neighborhood

This work implemented the city’s Low Stress Walk and Bike Network plan recommendations for Balsam Avenue and Edgewood Drive. The plan identifies buffered bike lanes to build a network of low-stress facilities to help people of all ages and abilities walk and bike safely and comfortably throughout the area.

• The project impacted Balsam Avenue from 9th to 19th streets and Edgewood Avenue from 19th Street to Folsom Avenue
• This area was repaved and restriped. The on-street bike lanes were also be enhanced.
  • The westbound bike lane, from east of Broadway to 24th Street has a two-foot buffer, to provide greater separation between people biking and vehicles, while retaining the on-street parking lane on the south side of the road
  • The eastbound and westbound bike lanes, between 9th Street and Folsom Avenue, has bike markings added to provide greater visibility
  • Vehicle travel lanes are 10 ft wide to help slow vehicle speeds

Lehigh Street

• Pedestrian crossing and intersection safety improvements near Mesa Elementary
• Installation of a paved multi-use path through Bear Creek Park connecting Lehigh and Bear Creek Elementary
• Resurfacing of Lehigh/Greenbriar between Table Mesa and east of Galena/Redstone
• Removal of the center turn lane between Table Mesa Drive and Cragmoor Road to add a buffer and provide more separation between bike lanes and vehicle travel lanes

17th Street

• Resurfacing of 17th Street from Pearl Street to Macky Drive
• Two-stage left-turn queue boxes for making left turns onto Walnut Street from 17th Street, including “no right turn on red” signs for drivers
• Green pavement markings to increase the visibility of bike paths on Canyon Boulevard and Arapahoe Avenue
• A new bike lane segment southbound from Pearl Street to Walnut Street
• Newly restriped bike lanes and crosswalks between Pearl Street and Macky Drive

Folsom Street (Valmont Avenue to Pine Street)

In December 2021, the city finished installation of:

• A cast-in-place curb-separated bike lane treatment with plastic delineators for enhanced visibility of the curb separation for bicyclists and motorists.
• Additional green conflict markings
• Enhanced signing
• Resurfacing and striping upgrades (completed over the summer)

This location was identified for a vertically separated bike facility due to its 30 mph speed limit and higher average daily traffic.

Baseline Road (Gregory Canyon to Broadway)

• Installed a buffered bike lane at the eastbound approach of the intersection at Baseline and Broadway
• Resurfacing on Baseline was completed in early October.

The buffered bike lane will help eastbound bicyclists position themselves in a dedicated area at the front of the intersection, increasing their visibility.

All three streets were identified for multimodal safety improvements in Boulder’s Low-Stress Walk and Bike Network Plan, which charts a course for enhancing existing facilities and filling in missing links in Boulder’s bicycle and pedestrian transportation network.

Pine Street (Folsom Street to 28th Street)

A new buffered bike lane was installed between Folsom and 28th streets. Along with the new bike lane, the speed limit on this stretch of Pine Street was lowered from 30 mph to 25 mph.

Table Mesa Drive (Vassar Drive to Broadway)

A number of bicycle safety improvements were made across the Table Mesa corridor, in addition to the pavement resurfacing work. These included adding and widening bike lanes and installing a painted "bike box" at Broadway to assist with safe turning movements.

Folsom Street (Iris Avenue to Valmont Road)​

The city installed green bike lane striping at intersections to improve visibility added a buffer between the existing drive lanes and bike lanes and reduced the speed limit from 30 mph to 25 mph.