Contact Us:
Dustin Hribar
Road and Bridge Superintendent
Walsenburg Shop Phone: (719) 738-2420
Nick Archuleta
Gardner Foreman
(719) 746-2926
Charles Bryant
Noxious Weeds Manager
Jerry Sporcich
La Veta Foreman
(719) 742-3672
The Road & Bridge Department is responsible for the year-round maintenance of approximately 513 miles of local roads and 160 miles of arterial roads within un-incorporated Huerfano County. They also provide maintenance services for various other departments, including U.S. Forest Service, Airport, and Building Maintenance. Questions regarding Road & Bridge should be voiced through any County Commissioner.
The County road right-of-way:
The County road right-of-way averages 60 feet in width. The right-of-way includes a designation for snow storage, drainage, signage, and utilities.
The County urges homeowners and residents not to place objects in the county right-of-way. Property owners who create hazards in a public right-of-way, e.g., plowing snow off private drives, piling construction materials or timber, or placing garbage bins, may be subject to prosecution under C.R.S. 43-5-301. Residents/Landowners installing rural route mailboxes are encouraged to contact the U.S. Postal Service for their installation requirements.
Right-of-Way Permits: Huerfano County Road & Bridge Department requires issuing a right-of-way permit before utility installations within the public right-of-way, outside city limits, and jurisdiction occurs. Excavating in a county or public right-of-way without a permit will result in a penalty fee. However, in the case of emergency repair to utilities which present danger to life or property may proceed, upon the condition the contractor/responsible person(s) making said emergency repair obtain a permit within 24 hours of the emergency repair.
Access Permits: The Huerfano County Road & Bridge department requires the issuance of an access permit for a person(s) whose property abuts the county right-of-way. Any access, whether constructed before, on, or after the date of adoption of these STANDARDS, may be required by the County to be reconstructed or relocated to conform to this Article, either at the property owner’s expense if the reconstruction or relocation is necessitated by a change in the use of the property which results in a change in the type of access operation; or at the expense of the County if changes in road or traffic conditions necessitate the reconstruction or relocation.
Permits & Other Important Information:
- Application for Right-of-Way Excavation Permit
- Application for Huerfano County Driveway Access Permit
- Huerfano County Driveway Profiles
- Resolution 12-20: Standards, Regulations and Permit System for Right of Way Openings, Access Permits and Cattle Guards on Public Roads
- Huerfano County Roadway Standards
Road Conditions/Road Closures: For statewide road information, call 303-639-1111 or 877-315-7623. Statewide road condition information is also available on CDOT’s web page at www.cotrip.org. Local radio stations air updates on road conditions and closures as well.
County road information can be obtained by calling the Road & Bridge shop for your area:
Walsenburg shop (719) 738-2420
Gardner shop (719) 746-2926
LaVeta shop (719) 742-3672
The Huerfano County Road & Bridge Department does not have information on road conditions and closures of roads outside of Huerfano County’s jurisdiction. When severe weather is forecast for our area please prepare before the event occurs. We recommend stocking up on food, drinking water, medications, propane, etc.
Winter Maintenance: NOT ALL COUNTY ROADS WILL BE PLOWED. Winter maintenance/snow removal is one of the essential responsibilities of the Huerfano County Road & Bridge Department. This responsibility does not include State highways, streets in incorporated towns, or private roads/driveways.
The county roads with a designation of primary and/or school bus routes receive priority maintenance.
Secondary priority will be designated to all other maintained county roads. During extreme weather conditions, county roads may not receive same-day maintenance. Winter staff generally works from 6:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. However, staff do work longer hours and weekends during major snow events.
Due to the vast territory under the county’s jurisdiction, roads that do not carry a high traffic volume may not be plowed. Keep in mind that, with a large snowfall, plow trucks take longer to make their snow removal runs. The heavy snow slows them down, too. In addition, when weather conditions become extremely sever, as in the instance of blowing snow and poor visibility our snow plowing efforts will cease until conditions improve.
Homeowners and residents are responsible for maintaining their own driveways and parking area(s). All parked privately owned vehicle(s) will be parked outside the county right-of-way. A plow operator may, at their discretion, decline to plow all, or portions of a county road if one or more vehicles are parked or disabled within the county right-of-way as to impede snow removal operations. Unfortunately, each operation may result in a berm of snow across private driveways or encroachments to county roads.
The County does not have the resources to keep driveways clear. This is the responsibility of each individual resident or business. Reasonable effort is made to plow in a manner that will minimize the snow that is left.
Summer Maintenance: General road grading operations occur between May and October, weather permitting. Priority is given to those maintained county roads, which have a high traffic volume. However, most county-maintained roads are graded at least once a year. Expect to encounter bumps or washboards on graveled County roads at times, as these conditions may form before roads are graded. Also, for your safety and the safety of others, SLOW DOWN! Excessive acceleration on inclines/curves can cause washboards to occur making travel difficult.
If you feel your road could use some attention, please do not hesitate to let us know. We will repair the problem as quickly as weather conditions, temperatures, material supplies, equipment, and workforce availability will allow.
To report on the condition of a county road, don’t hesitate to get in touch with the Huerfano County Road & Bridge Department in your area.