§ 8.1.5. Road capacity and level of service standard.

A.

Purpose. The purpose of the road capacity and level of service standard is to ensure that all development will have safe and adequate access to public roads and transportation related services and to ensure that development does not create demand for public improvements and services that cannot be met with existing public resources. If safe and adequate access does not exist at the time of development, the development must make the improvements necessary to meet the standard or wait until the needed improvements are constructed by others.

B.

Applicability. Road capacity and level of service standards apply to all applications for conservation development, planned land division, subdivision, rezoning, special review, site plan review, special exception and minor land division submitted under this code.

C.

Safe and adequate access. All development must have safe and adequate access on the county roads or state highways within the traffic impact area of the development. Safe and adequate access exists when traffic volumes do not exceed the capacity of the road; when operating conditions on the road and at intersections do not fall below a specified level of service (LOS); and when pavement sections and structures can accommodate projected traffic.

The capacity of an unpaved road is defined as the maximum traffic volume that can be accommodated without creating unsafe operating conditions for vehicles and without negatively impacting air quality by creating excessive amounts of dust. The capacity of a paved road is defined as the maximum traffic volume that can be accommodated at a specified level of service and depends on road characteristics, such as number of lanes, lane widths, intersection geometry and signalization.

The adequacy of pavement sections and structures depends on the physical conditions of the improvements, such as type, depth and condition of pavements and the load-bearing capacity of bridges.

Standards for capacity of a road vary between rural and urban areas of the county. Urban areas consist of GMA districts and other areas designated by the county master plan as urban areas. Rural areas consist of all properties outside these urban areas.

1.

Capacity and level of service for unpaved roads. To prevent adverse impacts on vehicles and air quality and to allow for effective road maintenance, roads must have an all-weather gravel surface. The county engineer may waive the requirement for gravel and allow a road to be surfaced with native material in limited cases when, in the opinion of the county engineer, traffic volumes, materials and location allow such a surface. However, in no case will a native material surface be allowed when the average daily traffic volume (ADT) exceeds 50 vehicles per day at the time of full build-out of the development.

The capacity of an untreated gravel road is defined as an ADT of 200 vehicles per day at the time of full build-out of the development. The capacity of a treated gravel road (treated with chemicals to control dust) is defined as an ADT of 400 vehicles per day.

Paving is required when cumulative traffic volumes exceed these capacities and must consist of asphaltic concrete or Portland cement concrete, base course material and subbase material (if required) placed on compacted subgrade.

2.

Capacity and level of service for paved roads. Level of service (LOS) is a qualitative measurement of operating conditions on a paved road or at an intersection. Levels of service for roadways and intersections are generally determined by analyzing the ratio of traffic volume to capacity of roadways or by analyzing the length of delays experienced at intersections.

Collector and arterial roads and intersections within the traffic impact area must function at LOS "D" in urban areas and LOS "C" in rural areas at the time of full build-out of a proposed development. Local roads and intersections within the traffic impact area must function at LOS "C" in both urban and rural areas at the time of full build-out of a proposed development.

3.

Adequacy of pavement section and structures. The roads within the traffic impact area of a proposed development must have an adequate pavement section (depth of gravel, depth of base course and type and depth of paving material) to accommodate the projected additional traffic loads from the development without damaging the roadway or accelerating the need for maintenance and must not cross any bridge or structure that has been determined to be structurally deficient or functionally obsolete by the county engineer.

Note: The county engineer maintains a list of structurally deficient or functionally obsolete bridges that is available to applicants.

4.

Additional conditions. The existence of safe and adequate access does not preclude the imposition of additional requirements as a condition of development approval when such requirements are deemed necessary to mitigate the impacts of the development on county and state roads and highways.

In cases where the access route between the subject site and a county road identified on the Larimer County Functional Road Classification Map is anything but a public right-of-way, the applicant must demonstrate by, competent evidence, the legal right to use any and all portions of that access route to the extent required for the pending development.

D.

Traffic impact area. The limits of the traffic impact area for a proposed development are determined by the county engineer in consultation with the applicant as described in Appendix F of the Rural Area Road Standards.

E.

Documentation outside of a GMA district. Every development must meet the requirements outlined in Appendix F of the Rural Area Road Standards.

F.

Documentation within a GMA district.

1.

Every development must meet the requirements of Chapter 4 of the Larimer County Urban Area Street Standards.

2.

Developments within the GMA district must submit a traffic impact study as required in Chapter 4 of the Larimer County Urban Area Street Standards, in the technical supplement to this code.

G.

Capital contribution front-ending agreement. The county may enter into a capital contribution front-ending agreement with any person proposing to construct a road to provide safe and adequate access to a proposed development. Where the road is on the county's major road system (collector and arterial streets established in the county's transportation master plan) and is eligible for capital expansion fee credits, the capital contribution front-ending agreement will provide proportionate and fair share reimbursement to the extent that the cost of the road exceeds the amount of credits for which the road is eligible. Where the road is not eligible for road capital expansion fee credits, the capital contribution front-ending agreement will provide proportionate and fair share reimbursement. Reimbursement must be provided from the new development that, in the future, will use the road for safe and adequate access within the traffic impact area.

(Res. No. 01232007R005, Exh. A, 1-23-2007; Res. No. 08102010R001, Exh. A, 8-10-2010)