An engineering study could chart a path for a road to replace the route over Dillon Dam that has been closed by Denver Water to the consternation of locals.
The Denver Water board of directors ordered the earthen dam’s road closed this month over concerns that it could be a target of terrorists.
The closure, and the failure of the board to include local officials in discussions leading up to it, raised hackles in surrounding communities.
The board discussed closing the artery at least three times in private executive session between Jan. 23 and July 2, according to papers released after a Colorado Open Records Act request by The Denver Post.
“There was just no communications made until it was time to say, ‘Whoops, sorry we are closing it,’ ” said Silverthorne Mayor pro tem Peggy Long. No one from the agency told officials from Silverthorne, Breckenridge, Frisco, Dillon and Summit County until a meeting July 8, she said.
“They said they would close the road that night. The officials who heard the news were kind of sitting there slack-jawed and shocked.”
Board members were concerned that if they made concerns public, the dam might be attacked before it could be protected, said Denver Water spokeswoman Stacy Chesney.
The board has heard of no specific threats against the dam. But studies by state and federal agencies have noted the structure’s vulnerability.
“The Board is aware that closure of the road will create an inconvenience for motorists in Summit County, and regrets this result. . . . The best long term solution . . . may be an alternative road alignment that connects one side of the reservoir to the other without traversing the dam,” said the resolution that closed the road, dated July 2.
The agency has a $52,180 contract with HDR Engineering for a preliminary study to identify potential realignment of the road and estimate the cost of construction.
The study is expected to be finished next week, Chesney said. If the stakeholders can agree, a preliminary road design could be on the boards by the end of the year.
Chesney said it was too early to estimate how long it would be before a new road could be opened.
Silverthorne officials fear that a new road would cut into the town’s commercial district and hurt business, Long said.
Denver Water has spent more than $126,000 on security measures that include concrete barriers, cameras and security guards for the dam road, according to public records.
The agency also has a $534,053 contract with Worthington Products for a barrier to keep boats away from the dam. A contract with Specialized Protective Services for armed security guards from May 17, 2008, through May 16, 2009, costs $380,000.
The independent utility is funded by water rates and tap fees.
Tom McGhee: 303-954-1671 or tmcghee@denverpost.com
