Streets, storm sewers and sidewalks for a town that more than doubled in a decade do not arrive on their own. Severance went from 3,165 residents in 2010 to 7,683 in 2020, with a 2025 estimate of 11,841, and every step of that growth needed grading, pipe and concrete placed ahead of the people. We build that infrastructure: the underground that serves new neighborhoods and the flatwork that finishes them.
The town sits at 4,876 feet in Weld County, with State Highway 257 ending at State Highway 14 on its northwestern edge. Agriculture remains the primary industry despite the recent residential construction, which means farm buildings, grain and dairy-related slabs, and pads for equipment sit side by side with new subdivisions. A contractor here has to be comfortable with both: a residential street section one week and a heavy farm-yard slab the next.
We work with developers, homebuilders, the town and agricultural owners, and we bring the same discipline to each: confirm the soils, set the grade, compact the base, place the concrete and test it.
The trade crews excavate, grade, trench, form, reinforce, place and finish, which lets us control the sequence from raw ground to completed pavement. In a growing town, that matters because a delay in one trade can idle the next. When we run both the underground and the curb and sidewalk, we can move from one to the other without waiting for a third party.
For residential and mixed-use streets we install storm drains and inlets, set curb and gutter, and pour sidewalks and ramps to the plan. Each ramp is checked for slope and detectable warnings, and each cross pan is graded so water leaves the street quickly. We keep survey stakes visible and re-check them before the pour.
The code that applies depends on the location of the work. Unincorporated Weld County adopted the 2024 International Building Code effective June 15, 2026, with engineered foundation designs required for most new structures. A project on farm ground just outside town limits may fall under that rule, and the foundation must be designed by an engineer, which is reflected in the footing and slab details we build.
Within town limits, the town's own review applies. In either case, grading, utility and street work is reviewed against the plans, and we coordinate inspections for subgrade, base, pipe and concrete. Colorado law also requires that energy code updates meet the standards set in HB22-1362, which affects building permits more than site work. We maintain a clean submittal record for each phase.
State Highway 257 begins at SH 60 in Milliken (a town we also serve), briefly joins SH 392 in Windsor and ends at SH 14 on the northwestern edge of Severance. Access from the highways into new development usually requires turn lanes, culverts and drainage crossings, and we build those. Where an access road crosses an irrigation ditch, we install the culvert and headwall to the size and invert shown on the plan.
The Great Western Bike and Pedestrian Trail runs through town along the former Great Western Railway route, and trail crossings are a frequent detail on new streets. We form the ramps, pour the approaches and coordinate with the town on signage and striping. The same attention applies to sidewalks and curb ramps along the neighborhood streets that feed the trail.
Agriculture is still the economic base, so we serve the agriculture and dairy owners who need feed pads, equipment foundations and washdown slabs. Those slabs are built to resist chemical and manure exposure, with proper drainage and containment.
For residential growth, we work with homebuilders and multifamily developers who need lots delivered ready for foundations. We also support the town's public works programs where streets and utilities are replaced or extended.
On a subdivision, the largest cost drivers are the quantity of pipe and pavement, the depth of the trenches, and how much of the soil has to be moved or replaced. Weak or wet ground may call for over-excavation and recompaction beneath streets, and we flag those areas from the soils report rather than discovering them with the excavator.
Agricultural slabs trade price against durability. A feed pad that is thicker, reinforced and cured properly costs more up front and far less over its life than one that spalls after two winters. We offer a base option and an upgraded option when the owner wants to compare, and we show the quantities for each so the decision is clear.
Fast growth tempts everyone to skip steps, and the cost shows up later as settled pavement and cracked curbs. We take the opposite approach: proof-roll the subgrade, correct soft spots, compact the base to the specification and take density tests before paving. A road that holds its shape for years is the best argument for doing it right.
We work in lots of manageable length, so open trench never sits long enough to affect residents or trap rainwater. Each day ends with the trench backfilled or plated, spoil piles contained and the road swept. When the neighbors are living next to the work, small courtesies keep the project moving. The same practices apply in nearby towns with a similar growth pattern.
Send us the plans for your Severance project. We will quote the earthwork, utilities and concrete as one package, with the testing and inspection steps laid out.
Unincorporated Weld County requires engineered foundation designs for most new structures under the 2024 International Building Code, adopted effective June 15, 2026. We build footings and slabs to the engineer of record's drawings and keep the inspection records the county asks for.
Yes. These slabs need a slope to drains, dense, well-cured concrete and, in many cases, containment. We select the mix and finish for wet, abrasive conditions and detail joints so liquid is directed where the design intends.
We identify them before grading, talk with the ditch owner, and install culverts or crossings to the design. During construction we keep water moving, and we restore the ditch bank and channel after the crossing is complete.
We take density tests on the subgrade and base, and cylinders or beams on the concrete, as the specification requires. Results are logged by station or placement, and given to the engineer and the town inspector.
Yes, within limits. Underground work continues with frost protection, and concrete is placed with heated mix and blankets when temperatures allow. We avoid paving on frozen base and reschedule rather than risk poor results.
