Project awaits Fort Collins' approval for $21 million

Sherrie Peif, (Bio) speif@mywindsornow.com
November 28, 2007

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The bridge between Windsor and Fort Collins is no longer the road less traveled.

What formally was a quick shortcut for motorists making the east to west drive is now the main arterial for Windsor and the first of four main exits for Fort Collins.

In fact, traffic at the Interstate 25 and Colo. 392 interchange is so highly traveled that finding a way to prepare for more growth has become a top priority for both communities.

After Monday, that traffic came one step closer to moving a lot smoother in as little as three years. Windsor Town Board -- with little discussion -- voted 7-0 to partner with Fort Collins and developer Metro Acquisitions, LLC to alleviate the crunch atop its main gateway into town.

"This is a culmination of something that started in 2003," Windsor town manager Kelly Arnold told the board before it voted. "It's picked up speed over the last 9 months, and I think all the parties involved would like to see this happen in the next two to three years."

The project outlines new on and off ramps, improvements to the frontage roads and bridge and possible bus stations or park-and-rides in the middle off the highway.

Although the Colorado Department of Transportation has put the interchange at the top of its list of priorities, repairs that are estimated to be around $21 million won't happen using state money anytime in the next 20 years.

The two communities and the property owners near there can't wait that long. With numerous design and operational deficiencies, substandard safety features and traffic expected to double by 2030 changes need to be made now.

"Time is really of the essence here," Carolynne C. White, attorney for Metro Acquisitions told the board when questioned why a phrase calling for funding and construction to take place "in the shortest time possible," was included in the agreement. "If this is going to be a long lengthy study process, why bother taking it away from CDOT?"

All that is left to move forward is for the Fort Collins City Council to approve its end, which is scheduled to happen Dec. 4. But if previous meetings are any indication, some council members are not quite ready to cooperate. Mayor Pro Tem Kelly Ohlson was disturbed with the initial presentation at a joint work session in September.

"Do I want to partner with Windsor on this? Yes," he said then. "Do I think Improvements are needed? Yes. Should it be

fixed? Yes. Am I comfortable with the plan? And would I support it if it came to council in November? No. As one-seventh of the Fort Collins City Council I'm not even close to comfortable. I can support the concept. With the right design, I'll write the check. But this kind of implied we could all do a group hug and sign the checks in a few months."

Pete Wray, senior planner for Fort Collins and co-project manager on the plans said his office is trying to get as much information ready for the Fort Collins council for a favorable outcome. But it could still come down to a split board.

"We've had a joint partnership with Windsor for a year," he said. "It's make sense for council to acknowledge that. If there are still issues, I'm sure we'll hear about that."

Wray said Fort Collins is on board with the accelerated three-year plan, which was made possible by the addition of Metro Acquisitions to the plan.

"We've had a lot of discussion over the past month about that," he said. "With a developer on board there's support for moving forward with an excellerated process. It has the potential for being a quicker process that originally thought if all the pieces fall into place and we move forward in a timely manner.

Before that can happen, however, the CDOT, the Federal Highway Administration and the NFR-MPO need to give their stamps of approval.

An environmental impact study that is currently underway in the area prohibits any construction from beginning until the study is concluded. However, the communities will file a request to have the area removed from the study, expediting the needed improvements.

Once that is completed the communities will then file for approval of environmental clearance and preliminary designs through the CDOT, the FHWA and the NFR-MPO.

The initial costs for all the filings is $307,000, with Windsor paying 25 percent, Fort Collins paying 25 percent and Metro Acquisitions paying 50 percent. If the project is not approved, Windsor and Fort Collins agree to reimburse Metro Acquisitions its investments.

What's next:

The Fort Collins City Council will meet Dec. 4 to vote on its part in the agreement. If approved, the communities will file applications to remove the bridge from the Environmental Impact Study. The engineering departments for both Windsor and Fort Collins will then work with consultants to develop a design while Windsor and Fort Collins governments work on a funding mechanism.

Three options are being considered for the $21 million project -- adjacent property owners taking on all the burden; the CDOT, the North Front Range Metropolitan Planning Organization, Windsor and Fort Collins splitting the bill; or expanding the property tax district to include more than the immediate area around the interchange.

Windsor's timeline for completion of the project is three years.