What is The Road Ahead?

In April 2020, Evans voters approved a 1% sales and use tax to be used exclusively for road maintenance and construction effective July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2027. 

This 1% sales tax allows the City to do more road maintenance and expansion projects than it would be capable of completing in an effort to improve the surface transportation network within the City. Since the tax was initiated, a wide array of projects all across the City have been completed thanks to the funding stream provided by the 1% tax. The projects include cement work on curb and gutter areas, asphalt patching, surface treatment and mill & overlay work that improve the condition of neighborhood streets and collector roadways as well as lengthening their lifespans. Additionally, large scale projects, such as the 37th Street widening project, derive a portion of their funding from the 1% road tax. 

City Wide Road Maintenance Projects 

Road maintenance work, more accurately known as pavement preservation, is a cost-effective way to extend the lifespan of streets in the city. Chip-seal, crack-seal and asphalt patch projects not only smooth out less heavily trafficked streets and create a safer, skid-free surface, they prevent water from seeping under the surface, preventing potholes, sinkholes and other damage to the subgrade. These projects can be done in small areas, much like concrete replacement work on sidewalks and on the curb & gutter areas. By addressing as small an area as needed, more work can be done across the city. 

Since voters approved The Road Ahead 1% sales tax, every neighborhood in the city has seen at least some of its surface transportation network benefit from pavement preservation projects. Through the end of 2024, over 660 segments of concrete have been replaced, more than 400 asphalt patches of varying sizes have been completed and nearly 500 total segments of roadway have been protected with chip-seal work. These maintenance projects, while small when taken individually, add up to considerable improvement in the city’s overall pavement condition index.

Since the inception of the The Road Ahead 1% sales tax, chip seal work has been done all over the city. Streets were chip sealed in Grapevine Hollow, Neville’s Crossing, Ashcroft Heights, North Point, Willowbrook, The Ridge, Platte Valley, Sundown, The Village, and East Evans. These repairs not only improve the quality of neighborhood streets for all uses, they also serve to prolong the lifespan of the road itself, saving money in the long-run. Additionally, concrete work to remove and replace hundreds of segments of decrepit, deteriorating or unstable concrete in and along curb & gutter, pans, inlet decks and sidewalks as well as install brand new ADA ramps that will be fully compliant with current state and federal standards. This work improves the usability of street and sidewalk networks for motor vehicles, bicycles, roller skates and the like, and makes surfaces safer by removing tripping hazards.

Expansion Projects Meet the Needs of the Growing City

Weld County is not only the fastest growing county in Colorado, it is one of the fastest growing counties nation-wide. This high rate of growth will undoubtedly impact Evans, placing a greater demand on our transportation infrastructure, roadways most especially. Planning for the long-term requires effort now - if we fail to upgrade our surface transportation network to meet expected demand, Evans will become a less desirable place to life, work and play. Therefore, we must upgrade our city’s major east-west (37th, 42nd and 49th Streets) and north-south (11th, 17th, 23rd, 29th, 35th and 47th Avenues) thoroughfares. Since the inception of The Road Ahead 1% sales tax, all of these roadways have received considerable attention. These upgrades, whether completed, underway or planned for, improve the quality of life for residents and help support our current and prospective businesses.

Upon receiving voter approval for The Road Ahead 1% sales tax, the city resurfaced 37th Street from 23rd Avenue to Highway 85. Simultaneously, design work began on expanding 37th Street to two lanes in each direction from the western city limits to 35th Avenue in central Evans. Given the costs associated with such a large-scale project, a phased approach over several years was the chosen course of action.

In 2023, the roundabout and expansion from 47th Avenue to Sienna Drive was completed, the next segment from Sienna to Stampede Drive was completed in 2024, and in 2025 expansion to four lanes from Stampede Drive to 35th Avenue was undertaken. In 2026, expansion work will take place between 65th Avenue and Arrowhead Drive. This project represents the City of Evans' share of the Weld County Freedom Parkway project that will expand State Highway 402/Larimer County Road 18/Weld County Road 54/37th Street to four lanes from I-25 in the west to Weld County Road 49 near Kersey in the east. 

Just like with 37th Street, Evans major north-south avenues, where the majority of the city’s commercial outfits are located, have also received considerable upgrades from The Road Ahead 1% sales tax. 23rd Avenue was expanded from a dirt road to a modern, four-lane arterial using funding from this source. Additionally, a segment of 49th Street that lies within Evans city limits was milled and overlayed in 2023. On the east side of town, Idaho Street was improved with a new asphalt surface. 

2025 - A New Approach

Through strategic planning discussions in 2024, the Evans City Council made the decision to use funds generated by the 1% road tax for larger-scale projects that will provide a greater public benefit in 2025 and beyond.

It was decided that after many minor repairs had been made on collector and neighborhood streets all across the City since the inception of The Road Ahead 1% tax, that upgrades to three of the city’s principal arterial thoroughfares would provide lasting impact on some of Evans’ busiest streets, help attract and retain businesses, and contribute to improving the overall quality of life in the city.

After first tackling concrete replacement work along 17th and 23rd Avenues, both roads were milled & overlayed between 37th and 32nd Streets and 42nd Street/Prairie View Drive underwent full depth reconstruction. With these projects scheduled to be completed in 2025, significant upgrades will have been made to 37th and 42nd Streets along with 17th, 23rd, 29th, 35th and 47th Avenues since 2020. 

In planning for these 2025 projects, $5,000,000 was initially budgeted for the work on 17th and 23rd Avenues and 42nd Street. After soliciting bids, the Evans City Council voted to approve a contract with Martin Marietta on Jan. 21, 2025 for a not-to-exceed amount of $4,105,300. In line with the city’s new procurement policies, a subsequent contract with RockSol Consulting Group for $163,462.06 to serve as construction manager for the projects was approved on March 4, 2025. After approval of these contracts, the city had $731,237.94 remaining in the budget for 2025 Major Roads Projects, that amount will be carried forward into 2026 for further work on major segments of the city's surface transportation network.