Friday, April 10, 2026 |
Photo – Map showing road fatalities by county – Courtesy US Department of Transportation
The Carbon County Commissioners selected an engineering firm to develop a plan to reduce fatalities on local roadways.
In 2021, the Biden Administration created the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which allocated $1.2 trillion to rebuild and modernize the nation’s aging utility and highway infrastructure. Of that total, $5 billion was designated for the Safe Streets and Roads for All program, which set a long‑term goal of reducing highway deaths to zero.
Through the Safe Streets and Roads for All program, Carbon County received a $228,000 grant to design a comprehensive action plan to eliminate traffic fatalities on county‑owned roads. In February, the County Clerk’s office issued a request for proposal for professional services to develop the plan.
During the April 7th Board of Carbon County Commissioners meeting, Clerk Lisa Smith announced that five engineering firms responded to the request for proposal.
Clerk Smith said she, Road and Bridge Superintendent Kandis Fritz, and Deputy Clerk Wendy Newbrough reviewed the proposals. Smith said they evaluated each firm on several criteria and considered price only at the end.
After applying their criteria to the five companies, Clerk Smith said Engineering Associates scored the highest. With an office in Saratoga, Smith said the firm has the most knowledge of the county’s roadways.
Clerk Smith said Fort Collins-based Ayres Associates submitted the lowest bid at $216,000, but only scored third, with its experience centered mostly on city work.
Smith said KLJ Engineering and Planning Services of Idaho scored second. The county clerk said the firm stood out because it conducted extensive research on the county’s roads, unlike several other submissions that fell outside the scope of the project.
Smith said Engineering Associates ranked highest due to the firm’s familiarity with the county’s road system.
The county clerk said that if selected, Engineering Associates will have until 2031 to complete the comprehensive action plan. However, the company expects to finish the work within a year, giving the county time to seek additional grants to address any identified safety deficiencies.
The Board of Commissioners voted to award Engineering Associated the contract to develop the county’s Safe Streets and Roads for All comprehensive action plan.
