We live on Peak 7, probably the largest unpaved neighborhood in a wide area. Our neighborhood has grown over the past two decades, and the growth has made it impossible to maintain the unpaved roads. The U.S. consensus is that roads need to be paved when traffic exceeds 150 to 200 vehicles per day. Our road traffic exceeds 600 vehicles per day. Under such circumstances, only paved roads can be properly maintained, are more cost-effective, safer and healthier.
There are varied reasons why our neighbors want to see paved roads. Dust is everywhere on Peak 7, in houses and cars and the lungs of the residents. Dust, car damage, house and car maintenance are just a few of the reasons why the vast majority of neighbors are demanding paved roads. Road safety has been an issue, particularly during mud season when the roads become treacherous.
After years battling regulations and communications issues, a ballot initiative is finally here to pave our roads.
Paving will cost initially about $124 per month for each property declining to $74 per month during the next 15 years. The paving budget in the ballot question is $6.6 million, but owners will at the end pay actual cost, not the estimate. Actual costs for comparable paving projects in the county have always been within 56%-68% of the original estimate, a remarkably narrow percentage range. In the case of Peak 7, this would mean about $12,800 per property. Owners will be able to choose between paying the entire amount in 2021 or financing it over 15 years as a loan.
For too long we have suffered in Breckenridge’s dustbowl. It is time to adapt the roads to the necessities of a community that has long outgrown the gravel roads of past decades.
Please support our efforts.