Snowmelt Road

This project involved the concrete pavement design of a 3,600 foot radiant-heated roadway located at the base of the Snowmass Ski Area in the Town of Snowmass Village, Colorado. This 9" thick concrete pavement is embedded with #5 epoxy coated rebar supporting 2" plastic heat pipe. Within the heat pipe is propylene glycol, a fluid heated by a boiler, which in turn warms the road. This road is a critical component of the ski area since it provides safe winter access to the base's commercial area and parking on grades that exceed 15%. Careful design considerations were necessary on this project due to schedule, slope and heat system requirements. These included a maximum 3" slump for hand-placed concrete, 3-day/28-day compressive strengths of 3,000/5,000 psi respectively, and precision in setting the vertical location of the heated pipe and rebar so that no pipe would be cut during the saw cutting of control joints. This roadway is one of the longest such heated roadway facilities in Colorado.

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