Boulder County, Colo. – Several activities planned over the next week in unincorporated Boulder County may have an impact on traffic in and around the city of Boulder.

Staging for Fourmile Canyon Fire area aerial mulching activities

In order to bring in heavy equipment and straw bale material to be used during the month of April to aerial mulch areas most impacted by the Fourmile Canyon Fire, the county’s contractor will begin hauling semi load trailers of material to a staging area located off Sugarloaf Road in Boulder Canyon beginning Monday, March 21.

The deliveries will continue for up to three weeks depending on need and weather conditions. Note: A complete schedule of aerial mulching activities will be released next week. Helicopter operations will begin on or about April 7.

· Residents and commuters may notice a slight increase in semitrailer traffic on Canyon Boulevard/Boulder Canyon Drive between 28th Street (U.S. 36) and Sugarloaf Road, and on Sugarloaf Road to Left Fork Road.
· No road closures are planned, but motorists and cyclists are asked to be aware that heavy truck equipment will be used in the vicinity of Sugarloaf Road.
· Reseeding activities along roads impacted by the fire will occur on Saturday, March 19 and Thursday, March 24, requiring additional driver awareness and caution where volunteers are present on the roads.

Dead trees to be removed from county right of way on Flagstaff Road

Contractors for the Road Maintenance Division of the Boulder County Transportation Department will be removing dead trees along Flagstaff Road between mile markers 1 and 5 on Tuesday, March 22 and Wednesday, March 23. Motorists and cyclists can expect short delays while trees are felled.

Lee Hill Drive improvements:

Access to Olde Stage Road from Lee Hill Drive in the city of Boulder will be cut off. Olde Stage will remain accessible from Lefthand Canyon Drive during these closures:

· Monday, March 21 through Friday, March 25. Lee Hill Drive will be closed south of Wagon Wheel Gap Road (between Wagon Wheel and Fourth Street) during daytime hours only (8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.). The closure is to accommodate rockwork on the hillside above the roadway along with retaining wall construction. No vehicles (including both bicycles and cars) will be allowed be allowed through the construction area. Wagon Wheel Gap Road will remain accessible from the north.

· Monday, April 4 through Thursday, April 7. Lee Hill Drive will be closed north of Wagon Wheel Gap Road (between Wagon Wheel and Olde Stage Road) 24 hours a day from 8:30 a.m. on April 4 until 4 p.m. on April 7. The closure may be extended until Friday if there are utility conflicts. The closure is to allow for the replacement of a large drainage culvert north of Wagon Wheel. No vehicles (including both bicycles and cars) will be allowed access between Wagon Wheel Gap Road and Olde Stage Road. Wagon Wheel will remain accessible from the south.

All closures are tentative and subject to change due to weather and/or other unanticipated factors. In many cases, either message boards or flaggers will be located in the vicinity of the work to alert residents of any delays or modifications to traffic activity.