HomeMy WebLinkAbout20123278.tiff RESOLUTION
RE: APPROVE SUBMISSION OF PETITION FOR DESIGNATION OF HAZARDOUS
MATERIALS ROUTE TO COLORADO STATE PATROL AND AUTHORIZE CHAIR TO
SIGN
WHEREAS, the Board of County Commissioners of Weld County, Colorado, pursuant to
Colorado statute and the Weld County Home Rule Charter, is vested with the authority of
administering the affairs of Weld County, Colorado, and
WHEREAS, the Colorado State Patrol has authority to designate roads and highways of
Colorado as hazardous materials routes, and
WHEREAS, County Road 49 is an appropriate route for the transportation of crude oil by
commercial trucks, and
WHEREAS, Weld County staff have compiled relevant information into a petition for the
designation of County Road 49 as a hazardous materials route, attached and made a part of
this resolution by reference, for the limited purpose of allowing crude oil carriers to transport
crude oil on that road, and
WHEREAS, the Board of Weld County Commissioners finds it appropriate and desirable
to petition the Colorado State Patrol to make this designation.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of County Commissioners of
Weld County, Colorado, hereby approves the submission of the petition and requests the
Colorado State Patrol to designate County Road 49 as a hazardous materials route for the
purposes of transportation of crude oil by commercial trucks.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED by the Board that the Chair is authorized to sign said
Petition.
Clcb)bb)
t.)--lP 2012-3278
EG0066
SUBMISSION OF PETITION FOR DESIGNATION OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS ROUTE TO
COLORADO STATE PATROL
PAGE 2
The above and foregoing Resolution was, on motion duly made and seconded, adopted
by the following vote on the 19th day of November, A.D., 2012.
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
1 T, ft WELD COUNTY, COLORADO
-1O
ATTE\SlitiVAA•I
ISM fs6:- 427 can P. Co y, Chair
Weld County Clerk to the ai
v7— ` Wi�F. arcia, ro-T m
BY: � p t
Deputy Cle the Board , ��,� ,( ,/,'L�
arbara Kirkmeyer
AP D AST M: d"! J F
David E. Long
o my Attorney „ ig 67> r a,,x4.< I
Douglas Rademacher
Date of signature: `t"I
2012-3278
EG0066
Hazardous Materials Routing Petition
Petitioning Entity:
Weld County
1 150 'O' Street
Greeley, CO 80632
Contact:
Bob Choate, Assistant County Attorney
(970) 336-7235
Route requested to be designated:
Weld County Road(WCR) 49 between Highway 34 (Hwy 34) on the north end to Interstate
Highway 76 (1-76) on the south end.
Alternative Routes:
State Highway 85 (Hwy 85)between Hwy 34 on the north end to 1-76 on the south end—This
route is already designated as a hazmat route, which continues north to the Wyoming border.
Interstate Highway 25 (I-25) is a designated hazmat route through its entire route through the
State.
Communities impacted by the route designation:
County of Weld
Town of Kersey
Town of Hudson
I c ify that the information contained in this petition is accurate and complete this /7 day of
./1/gtieinbcr , 2012.
Commissioner Sean Conway ern)
Chair, Weld County Board of County Commissioners
NOV 1 9 2012
,d042-3)Y2
WCR 49 HAZMAT (CRUDE OIL CARRIERS)DESIGNATION REQUEST
WCR 49 is a north-south thoroughfare through Weld County. The Weld County Board of
County Commissioners requests a Hazardous Material designation on WCR 49 from I-76 to
Hwy 34. A Hazmat Route Advisory Team consisting of Weld County Public Works, Weld
County Attorney's Office, and Weld County Sheriffs Office studied the route and has
determined that WCR 49 meets the requirements for consideration of hazmat route designation.
Specifically, the Weld County Board of County Commissioners requests that WCR 49 be
designated as an exempt route for crude oil carriers, as permitted by C.R.S. § 42-20-301 et. seq.
The following analysis was conducted by the Hazmat Route Advisory Team:
THE ROUTE UNDER CONSIDERATION IS FEASIBLE,PRACTICABLE,AND NOT UNREASONABLY
EXPENSIVE FOR SUCH TRANSPORTATION.
Granting this request will provide more options to crude oil carriers, which must currently travel
significantly out of their way in order to utilize current hazmat routes (e.g. Hwy 85, 1-25).
According to local crude oil carriers, designating this route as exempt for crude oil carriers will
decrease travel time, decrease expense for the industry, and will provide an incentive to comply
with hazmat route requirements. WCR 49 meets this requirement.
THE ROUTE IS CONTINUOUS WITHIN A JURISDICTION AND FROM ONE JURISDICTION TO
ANOTHER.
The proposed route reasonably connects two currently designated hazmat routes, Hwy 34 at the
north end and 1-76 at the south end, both of which continue through the jurisdiction and into
Morgan and Adams Counties. WCR 49 meets this requirement.
THE ROUTE DOES NOT UNREASONABLY BURDEN INTERSTATE OR INTRASTATE COMMERCE.
The proposed route is appropriate for designation, which would likely decrease the number of
trucks on Hwy 85 and 1-25, thereby decreasing the burden on such intrastate and interstate
routes. WCR 49 meets this requirement.
THE ROUTE DESIGNATION IS NOT ARBITRARY OR INTENDED BY THE PETITIONER MERELY TO
DIVERT THE TRANSPORTATION OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS TO OTHER COMMUNITIES.
The proposed route provides a well reasoned alternative route to currently designated hazmat
routes. Colorado State Patrol currently enforces the hazmat route requirements against crude oil
carriers in many areas of Weld County,where oil production is extensive. Crude oil carriers
represent a significant portion of the overall traffic. Such carriers currently use multiple non-
designated routes to reach the oil refinery located south of Weld County. By designating the
proposed route, crude oil carriers are more likely to use the route, as opposed to other non-
designated routes, and Weld County and the surrounding communities will have better ability to
respond to emergency circumstances that could occur as a result of crude oil transportation.
The proposed route is not intended to divert the transportation of hazardous materials to other
communities. The closest currently designated route (Hwy 85) is significantly more populated,
containing multiple towns and cities throughout the route. WCR 49 is very sparsely populated,
with only two small towns (<1600 persons), that are not on the route, but have simply indicated
that WCR 49 is included in their future growth areas. WCR 49 meets this requirement.
THE ROUTE DESIGNATION WILL NOT INTERFERE WITH THE PICKUP OR DELIVERY OF
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS.
The proposed route will not interfere with the pickup or delivery of hazardous materials. WCR
49 meets this requirement.
THE ROUTE DESIGNATION IS CONSISTENT WITH ALL APPLICABLE STATE AND FEDERAL LAWS
AND REGULATIONS.
The request is to designate WCR 49 as a crude oil exempted route. There are no impediments
imposed by state or federal law which would limit the designation. WCR 49 meets this
requirement.
THE ROUTE PROVIDES GREATER SAFETY TO THE PUBLIC THAN OTHER FEASIBLE ROUTES.
CONSIDERATIONS INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO:
AADT, crash and fatality rates (Safety Analysis)
The safety analysis was assessed on WCR 49 from Hwy 34 to 1-76 and was based on crash data
compiled for the period of January 1, 2001 through December 31, 2011. In summary there were
242 reported crashes with 5 fatal crashes producing 7 deaths and 9 injuries, 51 injury crashes
producing 83 injuries and 186 property damage only crashes. See Figure 1 shown below that
illustrates the WCR 49 corridor crashes by severity and Table 1 lists the corridor crashes by what
year the crash took place.
Figure 1 .
S Fatal
2%4 all 51
Injury
21 %
186
Propert
Y
Damag
e Only
77%'14,1,
ASP'
Table 1
Property Damage
Year Only (PDO) Injury Fatal Total
2011 21 5 1 27
2010 21 4 2 27
2009 23 4 1 28
2008 16 6 0 22
2007 26 5 0 31
2006 16 3 0 19
2005 18 5 0 23
2004 18 5 0 23
2003 11 5 1 17
2002 7 8 0 15
2001 8 2 0 10
To analyze the crashes further Table 2 includes a breakdown of the individual crashes into the
Colorado State Patrol Causal Factors. Showing the majority of crashes occurring on WCR 49 are
caused by inattentive driving.
Table 2
Number of
Code Definition Crashes
A01 Animal Caused 22
Under the influence of
D00 alcohol 8
M02 Exceeded safe speed 25
M04 Failed to yield right-of-way 25
M05 Improper left turn 4
M06 Other improper turns 2
M07 Lane violations 21
M08 Improper passing 12
M09 Wrong side of road 2
M10 Following too closely 7
M 11 Drove while asleep 12
M12 Inattentive to driving 40
M14 Disregarded stop sign 7
M18 Defective vehicle 7
M20 Spilling of load 3
M21 Improper backing 1
M22 Pedestrian violation 1
M23 All others 43
Classification Definition Crashes Percentage
Rear End One vehicle strikes the rear of the vehicle in front of it because that
vehicle is stopped or slowing down. 28 11 .6%
Broadside A vehicle traveling through an intersection in the opposite direction
strikes a left turning vehicle at a 90 degree angle. 20 8.3%
Sideswipe The side of one vehicle making contact with the side of another
vehicle that is traveling in the same or opposite direction. 22 9. 1 %
Fixed Object A vehicle travels off the roadway and strikes an object along the
roadside. 32 13.2%
Animal A vehicle strikes a wild animal in the roadway. 22 9. 1 %
Two adjacent approach vehicles, whose paths are unintended to
come in conflict, collide as a result of one or both vehicles over- or
Overtaking under-turning. This type would also include a vehicle initially going
Turn straight, but leaving its proper lane of travel and colliding with a
stopped or moving vehicle on an adjacent approach road or
driveway. 25 10.3%
Pedestrian A vehicle and pedestrian collide in which the collision between the
two is the first event and also took place within the roadway. 2 0.8%
Overturning A vehicle overturns on or off the roadway without first having been
involved in some other type of crash. 17 7.0%
Head On Two vehicles, traveling in opposite directions, strike one another
front first. 7 2.9%
Alcohol A driver was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. 8 3.3%
Unidentified The crash casual factor was not identified and/or the report was not
available. 59 24.4%
Weld County Public Works prepares a Hazard Elimination Study of the County's roadway
network each fall. Included in this study is an analysis of all hotspot locations at county
intersections. There were three locations identified along the WCR 49 that were identified as
hotspot locations; the intersections of WCR 54, WCR 44, and WCR 22 as they intersect WCR
49. Once the locations were plotted on the Weld County Safety Performance Graph, a tool used
to measure the ratio of allowable crash rates versus the traffic volume, Public Works staff was
able to determine that the intersections of WCR 54, WCR 44, WCR 22 and WCR 49 were above
the expected mean, which means that they are problem locations where safety improvements
should be initiated. As part of the Safety Analysis the WCR 49 corridor as a whole was also
Ireviewed. The entire corridor has a crash rate of 1 .02 Accidents per mile per year (APMPY)
which means the results were well below the expected mean. This means that outside of the
hotspots the WCR 49 corridor has an acceptable crash rate. Figure 2 shown below is a graphical
representation of the data.
Figure 2: Safety Performance Graph
2.5
A ■
WCR 44 WCR 54
2
■ WCR 54 & WCR
♦ 49
1.5 WCR 22 A WCR 44 & WCR
49
• WCR 22 & WCR
49
1 •
WCR 49 Corridor • WCR 49 Corridor
—Expected Mean
0.5
0 1 r r I i
0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000
IWeld County Public Works_completed the construction of intersection improvements at WCR 54
& WCR 49. The intersection of WCR 44 & WCR 49 received federal funding and is currently in
the design process with plans for construction during the summer of 2013. The intersection of
WCR 22 & WCR 49 is currently in the design process. The entire WCR 49 corridor is
continuously monitored for public safety to ensure that Weld County is proactive.
Existing Traffic Volumes
An analysis of the existing traffic conditions was performed during the early stages in the
development of the Access Control Plan. In order to conduct the analysis, existing traffic volume
data was taken along WCR 49 in June 2009, July 2010, and March 2011 . The traffic volume data
collected included average annual daily traffic (AADT) data, AM Peak Hours, PM Peak Hour,
Average Speeds (posted 65mph), and Truck percentages, and crash data. AADT counts identify
the amount of through traffic traveling along the corridor for an entire day. The AM and PM
peak hours show when the bulk of traffic travels through the corridor. See Table 3 for the current
traffic data. Traffic volumes on the WCR 49 corridor between Hwy 34 and I-76 vary from 2,900
to 6,400 vehicles per day (vpd) with the highest volumes near the intersection of Hwy 34 and
WCR 49. The speed limit is posted 65mph. Plus or minus 5 mph of the 85th or average speed is
normal. These average speeds are within reason of the posted speed limit.
Table 3
AM Peak PM Peak Average
From To Date AADT Hour Hour Speed Truck%
US
49 54 34 3/14/2011 5408 7:00 4:45 63 MPH 29
49 52 54 3/14/2011 6430 7:00 5:00 67 MPH 26
49 50 52 6/26/2009 3118 6: 15 3 :45 71 MPH 32
49 48 50 7/28/2010 3581 6:30 5: 15 69 MPH 29
49 46 48 7/28/2010 3795 6:30 5:00 69 MPH 25
49 44 46 7/21/2010 3208 6:30 4: 15 70 MPH 35
49 42 44 7/21/2010 3385 6:45 4:00 70 MPH 42
49 40 42 6/26/2009 3021 6:00 3 :45 71 MPH 34
49 38 40 8/21/2009 3183 7:00 3 : 15 69 MPH 33
49 36 38 6/26/2009 2980 6:00 3 :45 68 MPH 35
49 34.5 36 6/26/2009 2976 6: 15 3 :45 71 mph 35
49 34 34.5 5/21/2010 3676 7:00 4:30 69 MPH 31
49 32 34 11/10/2010 5099 7:00 4:00 69 MPH 34
49 30 32 1/21/2009 4334 6:00 4:45 71 mph 34
49 22 30 6/25/2009 2920 6:00 5:00 71 mph 34
49 20 22 8/6/2010 3193 6:00 4:30 70 MPH 31
49 18 20 8/6/2010 3193 6:00 4:30 70 MPH 31
As a part of the Weld County Traffic Program, a vehicle classification count was also conducted
on WCR at various locations throughout the corridor. Vehicle classification counts are designed
to identify the mix of different types of vehicles (e.g., passenger vehicles, small and large trucks,
and buses) that compose the traffic stream. The percentage of trucks travelling on WCR 49
varies between 25% up to 42% of the vehicles travelling on WCR 49. The segment of WCR 49
with the highest volume of truck traffic was near the intersection of WCR 44 and WCR 49,
where the truck percentage was 42%. Vehicle classification counts also identify the average
speed that vehicles are driving on WCR 49. The average speed of vehicles ranges from 63 mph
to 71 mph.
Population within a one-mile swath of each side of the highway
WCR 49 is a rural corridor without a significant population. There are two towns that include the
corridor within in their growth boundary. The Town of Kersey is on the north end of the corridor
and is approximately 1 .5 miles east of WCR 49 has a population of 1 ,389. The Town of Hudson
is on the south end of the corridor and is approximately 1 mile south of WCR 49 has a
population of 1 ,565.
Locations of schools, hospitals, sensitive environmental areas, rivers, lakes, etc.
Schools — There are no schools located within the general vicinity of the proposed route.
Hospitals — There are no hospitals within the general vicinity of the proposed route. The nearest
hospital on the north side is North Colorado Medical Center, located at 1801 16th Street, Greeley,
CO, approximately 6.5 miles northwest of the intersection of WCR 49 and Hwy 34. The nearest
hospital on the south side is Platte Valley Medical Center, located at 1600 Prairie Center
Parkway, Brighton, CO, approximately 13.5 miles southwest of the intersection of WCR 49 and
I-76.
Sensitive environmental areas — FEMA has identified the Boxelder Creek floodplain which runs
nearly parallel with WCR 49. There are two identified potential wetland areas along the
proposed route, near the intersection of WCR 49 and WCR 26, as well as near the intersection of
WCR 49 and WCR 18 within the limits of the Town of Hudson. See map in Attachment A.
Rivers — There are no rivers within the general vicinity of the proposed route. The Cache La
Poudre River is located approximately 1 .5 miles northwest of the intersection of WCR 49 and
Hwy 34. Highway 34, a currently designated hazardous materials route, crosses the river
approximately 2.5 miles west of the same intersection.
Lakes — Lower Latham Reservoir - approximately 1 .5 miles west of WCR 49 near WCR 50.
6,200 Acre Feet capacity. Owned by the Lower Latham Ditch Company. Main sources of water
are the Union Ditch and the Morrison Seepage Ditch. Milton Reservoir - approximately 1 .5
miles west of WCR 49 near WCR 34. 31 ,000 Acre Feet capacity — approximately 2,000 acres.
Owned by Farmer's Reservoir & Irrigation Company. Mainly used for agricultural irrigation;
secondary uses include drinking water and recreation. Main source of water is the Platte Valley
Canal, which contacts the reservoir on the northwest side.
Emergency response capabilities on the route
Medical Response
The Greeley Fire Department provides hazardous material incident response services throughout
Weld County pursuant to an intergovernmental agreement with Weld County. The Greeley Fire
Department is well equipped to respond to hazardous materials incidents. All shift personnel are
trained to Hazardous Materials Operations level. The Hazmat Team members are trained to
hazardous Materials Technician level. The Department has a fully equipped hazardous materials
response vehicle capable of dealing with a variety of chemical and biological hazards.
Equipment includes: Level A suites, monitoring equipment, chemical testing equipment, etc.
Law Enforcement — The Weld County -Sheriff's Office has reviewed this petition and does not
believe that the requested designation would increase response times by Sheriff's Deputies to
incidents along the designated routes.
Fire Departments — WCR 49 forms the border between four distinct fire protections districts: La
Salle Fire Protection District, Platte Valley Fire Protection District, SE Weld Fire Protection
District, and the Hudson Fire Protection District. None of the responding fire protection districts
anticipate any increased difficulty or response time to WCR 49 as a result of this requested
designation. (Gray areas in the map below have no fire protection district).
m
•
'', Platte Valley Fire SE Weld fire Protection District
Protection District
,
La Salle fire Protection District Hudson Fi
aspigithe
Protection District
The Platte Valley Fire Protection District borders the east side of WCR 49 from Hwy 34
at the north end to WCR 54. The district fully encompasses the route from WCR 54 to WCR 51 ,
and thereafter borders the route from WCR 51 to WCR 42, and again from WCR 40 to WCR 36,
and again from WCR 34 to WCR 33. Fire Chief Barry Schaefer has indicated that the requested
designation would not change a significant amount of additional hazard, from an emergency
response point of view.
The South East Weld Fire Protection District borders the east side of WCR 49 from
WCR 32 at the north end to WCR 22. Fire Chief Tom Beach states that there are no foreseeable
delays in response times, and the district generally responds to incidents on the route in under ten
minutes. The District has the ability to respond to incidents 24 hours per day, 7 days per week,
365 days per year. The District can respond by engine or ambulance, and has the ability to
contain hazardous materials, including foam application class A and B. This is a combination
department of career staff, volunteers, and reserves. All career staff and a majority of
volunteers/reserves are IFSTA/Colorado State Certified Hazardous Materials Operations.
The Hudson Fire Protection District borders the west side of WCR 49 from WCR 26 at
the north end to WCR 22, and then fully encompasses the route from WCR 22 to I-76. Fire Chief
Robert Bertram indicates that he has no objection to the designation of WCR 49 as exempt for
crude oil transportation purposes, and sees no significant statistical change to his station's ability
to respond.
The La Salle Fire Protection District borders the west side of WCR 49 from Hwy 34 at
the north end to WCR 54, and again from WCR 51 to WCR 42. The district fully encompasses
the route from WCR 42 to WCR 40, and thereafter borders it from WCR 40 to WCR 30. Fire
Chief Joe Cabrera did not respond to request for comment on the petition. The District has 12
Hazardous Materials Operations Level Responders on staff; but generally relies on Greeley,
Loveland, or State Patrol HazMat for primary response. The department has a minimum of two
responders on staff at all times. The department uses standard fire apparatus equipment.
Condition of the route, i.e., vertical and horizontal alignment, pavement condition,
level of access to the route, etc.
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'. ,Pavement condition — Weld County Public Works performs deflection testing and core
testing of the roadway alternating every year. Based upon the pavement testing WCR 49
has an Overall Condition Index (OCI) of Fair (60-79) or Good (80- 100) with no segments
with a rating of Poor ( 1 -59).
Level of Access — Weld County Public Works is currently in the process of developing
an Access Control Plan for the WCR 49 Corridor. Currently, there are 209 accesses along
20 mile on to WCR 49. One of the goals of the WCR 49 Access Control Plan will be to
consolidate or eliminate various accesses along the corridor.
Bridges — There are four bridges on WCR 49. All of the bridges have a load rating status
of open with no restrictions. The table below shows the sufficiency rating for the bridges.
Sufficiency
Bridge ID Structure Type Rating Sufficiency Rating Status
WEL049.0- Stringer/Multi-beam or
054.0A Girder 66.2 Functionally Obsolete
WEL049.0- Stringer/Multi-beam or Not Deficient or
052.0A Girder 97 Obsolete
WEL049.0- Not Deficient or
034.0A Culvert 96.3 Obsolete
WEL049.0-
024.0A Culvert 64.8 Structurally Deficient
WCR 49 meets all of these requirements.
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