Degener's penstemon (Penstemon degeneri) is a perennial herb in the Plantaginaceae (Plaintain Family) that is found only in Fremont, Custer and Chaffee counties, and is considered to be imperiled at a global and state level. When flowering, it has beautiful blue-purple flower spikes. One of the biggest conservation issues for this imperiled plant species is the lack of awareness of its existence and status. Avoiding or minimizing impacts to this species during road maintenance activities will effectively help to conserve its habitat and is unlikely to confer substantial impacts on road maintenance goals and projects.
Pagosa bladderpod (Physaria pruinosa=Lesquerella pruinosa) is a small, rosette-forming, yellow-flowered plant in the Brassicaceae (Mustard Family) that is known only from two counties in southern Colorado and one county in northern New Mexico. Avoiding or minimizing impacts to this species during road maintenance activities will effectively help to conserve its habitat and is unlikely to confer substantial impacts on road maintenance goals and projects.
Round-leaf four o'clock (Oxybaphus rotundifolius) is a medium-tall plant in the Nyctaginaceae (Four o'clock Family) that is restricted to barren shale outcrops of the Smoky Hill Member of the Niobrara Formation in sparse shrublands or woodlands and is considered to be imperiled at a global and state level. One of the biggest conservation issues for this imperiled plant species is the lack of awareness of its existence and status. Avoiding or minimizing impacts to this species during road maintenance activities will effectively help to conserve its habitat and is unlikely to confer substantial impacts on road maintenance goals and projects.
Golden blazing is a tall plant, with thick stems, and attractive, 10-petaled bright yellow flowers. Golden blazing star is found primarily on the Smoky Hill member of the Niobrara shale, in the middle Arkansas Valley, in Fremont and Pueblo counties, Colorado, and nowhere else in the world. Golden blazing star is considered to be imperiled at a global and state level. One of the biggest conservation issues for this imperiled plant species is the lack of awareness of its existence and status. Avoiding or minimizing impacts to this species during road maintenance activities will effectively help to conserve its habitat and is unlikely to confer substantial impacts on road maintenance goals and projects.
This research evaluates the effectiveness of the SH 9 Colorado River South Wildlife & Safety Improvement Project, including two wildlife overpasses, and five wildlife underpasses connected with 10.4 miles of wildlife exclusion fencing in Grand County, CO. The project was designed to improve driver safety while allowing for wildlife movement across the road. This study uses motion-activated cameras and WVC crash and carcass data to determine how successful the mitigation measures are. In addition to the crossing structures, deer guards, escape ramps, pedestrian walk-through gates and the fence end are being monitored.
Pueblo goldenweed (̲Onopsis puebloensis) is a yellow flowered plant in the Asteraceae (Sunflower Family) that is known only from the Arkansas Valley in Pueblo and Fremont counties, Colorado, and is considered to be imperiled at a global and state level. One of the biggest conservation issues for this imperiled plant species is the lack of awareness of its existence and status. Avoiding or minimizing impacts to this species during road maintenance activities will effectively help to conserve its habitat and is unlikely to confer substantial impacts on road maintenance goals and projects. The Best Management Practices included in this document are intended to help increase the awareness of this species for o help increase the awareness of this species for anyone involved in road maintenance activities.
Piceance bladderpod is a low, rosette-forming, yellow-flowered plant in the Brassicaceae (Mustard Family) that is found chiefly on outcrops of the Green River Shale Formation in the Piceance Basin. It grows on ledges and slopes of canyons in open area of pinon juniper communities.
Colorado supports habitat for approximately 120 globally imperiled plant species. These plants are in need of conservation attention to prevent unnecessary extirpations and extinctions. Numerous populations of these globally imperiled plants are known from roadside locations in Colorado. One of the biggest conservation issues for this imperiled plant species is the lack of awareness of its existence and status. Avoiding or minimizing impacts to this species during road maintenance activities will effectively help to conserve its habitat and is unlikely to confer substantial impacts on road maintenance goals and projects.
Cushion bladderpod (Physaria pulvinata) is a low, compact plant in the Brassicaceae (Mustard Family) It is densely matted and hairy, less than 3 dm across with 4-petaled yellow flowers. It is known from widely scattered outcrops of grayish Mancos shale in San Miguel and Dolores counties, and is considered to be imperiled at a global and state level. One of the biggest conservation issues for this imperiled plant species is the lack of awareness of its existence and status. Avoiding or minimizing impacts to this species during road maintenance activities will effectively help to conserve its habitat and is unlikely to confer substantial impacts on road maintenance goals and projects.
The ongoing deterioration of highway bridges in Colorado dictates that an effective method for allocating limited management resources be developed. In order to predict bridge deterioration in advance, mechanistic models that analyze the physical processes causing deterioration are capable of supplementing purely statistical models and addressing limitations associated with bridge inspection data and statistical methods. A review of existing analytical models in the literature was conducted. A mechanistic model was developed to predict corrosion and concrete cracking as a function of material and environmental inputs.
Roan Cliffs blazing star (Nuttallia rhizomata) is a low, sprawling, rhizomatous plant with bright yellow flowers with five petals. This species is known only from Garfield County in Colorado, and nowhere else in the world. and is considered to be imperiled at a global and state level. One of the biggest conservation issues for this imperiled plant species is the lack of awareness of its existence and status. Avoiding or minimizing impacts to this species during road maintenance activities will effectively help to conserve its habitat and is unlikely to confer substantial impacts on road maintenance goals and projects.
Following this extreme weather event, one of many that Colorado has experienced, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) sought to identify design alternatives that would increase the resilience of the affected sites. In particular, they sought to address their vulnerabilities to future shock events through comprehensive analysis and integrated design approaches, which help mitigate and minimize future losses.