July 27, 2012

Infrastructure

Hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure projects are under way or planned in Northern Colorado in the coming years, ranging from roadwork to ambitious water projects.

Northern Colorado roads will see 150 miles of highway projects this summer alone at a cost of $110 million, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.

Projects include resurfacing 11 miles of Highway 392 in Windsor and the reconstruction of the U.S. 85 bypass in Greeley from U.S. 34 to Fifth Street.

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The department plans $2.18 billion in additional improvements to Interstate 25 and other major roads by 2075.

The interstate, a major conduit of commerce in the region, will see reconstruction and widening between state highways 14 and 392 with acceleration and deceleration lanes that would ultimately become part of an eight-lane configuration.

The upgrades also could include a commuter rail service featuring nine stations connecting Fort Collins and Longmont and an express bus system with 13 stations along the interstate between Harmony Road and U.S. 34. Buses would run from Fort Collins and Greeley to Denver International Airport and downtown Denver.

In addition to transportation, the region is planning projects to quench its thirst for water. The $500 million Northern Irrigated Supply Project is Northern Colorado’s largest water storage project since the Colorado-Big Thompson Project was finished in 1957. Plans include construction of the 170,000-acre-foot Glade Reservoir northwest of Fort Collins.

Separately, the $270 million Windy Gap Firming Project includes plans to build the 90,000-acre-foot Chimney Hollow Reservoir southwest of Loveland for water storage. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is expected to decide this year whether the project should move forward.

Individual cities have planned their own infrastructure improvements.

The city of Fort Collins plans to transform a major north-south artery downtown, the Mason Corridor and its aging railroad tracks, into a development that combines bicycle and pedestrian trails with express transportation and more urban housing. The city recently announced it would receive $54.5 million in federal funding for the project.

In Greeley, the Water and Sewer Department has been building the Bellvue Pipeline since 2003, and it’s scheduled for completion in 2013. The 30-mile project, consisting of 60-inch pipe and estimated to cost $22 million, will give the city more high-quality drinking water. Work also is under way to recondition about 33,000 feet of the city’s cast-iron water pipelines.

Northern Colorado air travel also has seen enhancements.

The Fort Collins-Loveland Municipal Airport, which continues to see growth in passenger traffic, reopened its main runway last fall after its first repaving in more than 20 years. Six inches of asphalt were removed and replaced along the entire 8,500-foot-long runway.

The Weld County Airport will see pavement replacement and runway improvements this summer.

Hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure projects are under way or planned in Northern Colorado in the coming years, ranging from roadwork to ambitious water projects.

Northern Colorado roads will see 150 miles of highway projects this summer alone at a cost of $110 million, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.

Projects include resurfacing 11 miles of Highway 392 in Windsor and the reconstruction of the U.S. 85 bypass in Greeley from U.S. 34 to Fifth Street.

The department plans $2.18 billion in additional improvements to Interstate 25 and other major roads by 2075.

The interstate, a major conduit…

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