Buckling the Beltway Is a Metropolitan Issue
There are many voices speaking up about the completion of the metropolitan beltway in northwest Jefferson County. The majority of those voices are from elected officials or residents in the immediate area. However, the fact is that the completion of the beltway is a metropolitan issue, not a northwest Jefferson County issue.
Contrary to the oft-repeated phrase uttered by a very vocal minority that a linked beltway is “not needed,” if there is one overall conclusion emerging from the latest Environmental Impact Study (EIS) process currently being conducted by the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), it is that a completed beltway is clearly a necessity. To state otherwise ignores not only future projections about population and traffic growth, but current conditions and the already evident lack of mobility in northern Jefferson County.
The “fix” that a vocal minority is pushing for—improvements to existing major streets—is based on traffic volumes projected for the year 2015—a mere seven years from today. And, that “fix,” estimated to cost $900 million dollars that no one has, would still result in intersections rated at a level of service “F” or “fail.” Failing intersections and a tab for $900 million dollars (funding that is not budgeted anywhere in the State of Colorado) is not the answer to the problem.
In 1965, Arvada leaders created a transportation plan for our City that very wisely included a circumferential highway – a beltway - through its northwestern quadrant. This beltway has been on Arvada transportation plans since that time. In fact the beltway has appeared on other community transportation plans including, until 1992, the City of Golden. The City of Arvada and neighboring cities assisted Golden in the early 1990s in its efforts to promote economic development in Golden by relocating State Highway 93 from Washington Street to its current alignment, which at the time of the relocation was open, undeveloped land. In return it was agreed that Golden would assist Arvada and Jefferson County in completing the beltway – using the new SH 93 alignment. Unfortunately there are many who have conveniently forgotten that agreement and have allowed themselves to succumb to development pressures and build near that alignment. This does not negate the need for the beltway and in fact increases the need for more highway capacity.
The City of Arvada and the Colorado Department of Transportation are empathetic to the situation Golden has created for itself. CDOT has proposed a compromise where a road resembling Foothills Parkway through Boulder would be built and serve as the beltway link through Golden. This compromise situation is acceptable to Arvada and Jefferson County because it maintains a quality of life for Golden residents, improves a dangerous section of SH 93, and adds capacity to our roadway network.
Many wonder how the completion of the beltway will be funded. Unfortunately, no road project of the magnitude needed to address future transportation needs will be inexpensive, and construction costs continue to escalate. The question then becomes how we fund major transportation projects in a timely manner with minimal effect on Colorado taxpayers. One option is toll roads. Another is to develop public – private partnerships with investors willing to supply much needed capital up front. At this point in the process, it would be foolish to eliminate any source of funding from consideration.
To those who claim that completing the beltway will cause sprawl, simply looking at a map will ease that concern. Almost the entire area adjacent to the alignment of the “missing link” is permanent open space, from the 6,000 acre Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge, to thousands of acres of Boulder , Jefferson County, Arvada, Broomfield, and Westminster open space. While some development is planned in the area—in particular the Candelas (formerly known as Vauxmont) development—it is already approved and will occur with or without a completed beltway.
The City of Arvada continues to work closely with CDOT, Jefferson County, and other municipalities to make a completed metropolitan beltway a reality.