OURAY COUNTY – The Ouray Board of County Commissioners signed a contract this week with the Norwood-based company Earthtech to complete emergency repairs on a segment of the Camp Bird Road.

Repairs will get underway as soon as Thursday this week, weather-permitting, on an exposed 20-25 foot section of the Camp Bird Road in the vicinity of the “Drinking Cup” where the road edge has eroded to the point where it is only nine or 10 feet wide, said Commissioner Mike Fedel.

“The problem has been evolving for some time and just got worse in last couple of weeks,” Fedel said. “It’s an old mountain road and this stuff happens.”

The Camp Bird Road provides access to both the Camp Bird Mine and the Revenue-Virginius Mine. Both have seen a surge of new activity in recent months, with miners and other workers making daily commutes to and from work along the route.

The repair job could cost as much as $20,000. It will require the installation of a cribbing structure called a mechanically stabilized earth system, or MSE, which uses wire baskets or frames to hold eroding road base in place.

The portion of the road in need of repair has a drop-off of over 100 feet, Fedel said. “It’s not a perfect construction zone,” he allowed.

County Administrator Connie Hunt and Road and Bridge Supervisor Chris Miller called an emergency meeting with the Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday, Oct. 30 at which the problem was presented, and its solution proposed.

Earthtech principal Tom Meehan was chosen for the project because he was immediately available to take it on. He has worked for Ouray County before, doing similar stabilization work on County Road 17, Fedel said.

The county will assist with traffic control along the Camp Bird Road once the repair job gets underway. Fedel said he was not sure how long the repairs would take.

“This is definitely the most expeditious fix we could come up with,” he said. “The work is guaranteed and bonded; it is a very good proposal.”