Featured Project

project

KLJ was awarded an on-call engineering contract for the Town of Collbran, CO in early 2021. Shortly after, KLJ reviewed a middle-mile broadband preliminary engineering report that was previously produced before KLJ joined the project. The intent of this middle mile project was to bring fiber from the Colorado Broadband Loop to the Town of Collbran. The closest tie-in point for the Colorado Broadband Loop was the Town of De Beque. The previously suggested proposal noted a route along a paved road that required costly directional boring and pavement restoration with higher overall cost of the project. The Town was in need of a cost-effective and efficient route to provide middle-fiber services to the nearly 300 residents. 

SOLUTION 

KLJ’s Grand Junction team applied their local knowledge and suggested routing the broadband over a gravel/dirt surfaced county road (V Road). A bonus to this route was that it was shorter in length than the route proposed previously. This route was more cost-effective, making the project feasible with the grant funding the Town had secured for the project. KLJ was hired to complete the design for this cost-effective alternate route and provide programming, planning services, and a carrier neutral location that local internet service providers could utilize to bring high-speed reliable internet services to Collbran homes and businesses.

KLJ worked with Collbran and Mesa County to determine road right of way (ROW), utilizing Federal Law RS 2477, a site-specific trench detail, and broadband conduit alignment. The broadband alignment was down the middle of V Road, an unimproved dirt county road, for approximately 18-miiles before switching to aerial on an existing power line. KLJ worked with Collbran and Grand Valley Power to secure the required shared use permit to utilize the Grand Valley Power system. The route crossed several existing natural gas lines, including several crossings of a high pressure (e.g., 1,800 psi) 24-inch gas line. These crossings required coordination and permitting with the respective pipeline owners/operators. 

RESULT 

KLJ completed the design and prepared a construction bid package for the Town. The project is currently under construction and Collbran tasked KLJ with construction observation. Approximately three-quarters of the underground portion of the broadband conduit has been installed without any significant issues or delays. The aerial portion of the project is scheduled to start in late June and project completion is targeted for August 2023.