North I-25 project approved for $200M provisional funding

The Colorado Transportation Commission on Thursday approved a provisional $200 million in funding that, with matching federal grant money, would pay to broaden a segment of North Interstate-25 to three lanes between Colorado Highway 402 to Colorado Highway 56 in Berthoud.

The allocation of the provisional funds is contingent upon winning a federal highway grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Infrastructure For Rebuilding American program that could generate another $95 million for the project. The North Front Range Metropolitan Planning Organization is leading the grant application for the project.

The funding would expedite construction of the next phase of the North I-25 Express Lanes project which, in total, extends from Colorado Highway 14 in Fort Collins to Colorado Highway 66 in Longmont.

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“Every dollar into the North I-25 corridor achieves our ultimate objective of seeing three complete lanes in both directions of North I-25 by 2025,” said David May, president and chief executive of the Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce and leader of the Fix North I-25 Business Alliance. “We are thrilled that CDOT and the Transportation Commission continues to place the North I-25 project as one of its top priorities for funding by making a commitment to match the critical INFRA grant application.”

The Colorado Department of Transportation is set to break ground in the coming months on the northern segments of the North I-25 Express Lanes project.

The $300 million-plus project expands the highway to three lanes between Colorado Highway 14 in Fort Collins and Colorado Highway 402 south of Loveland.

The total project costs for the entire stretch of North I-25 between Fort Collins and Longmont express-lane project is estimated at more than $1.5 billion.

The provisional match funding was found in a new state law, Senate Bill 17-267, which policymakers expect will generate about $1.8 billion for transportation needs across the state over the next 20 years. The first $800 million was provisionally committed Thursday as matching funds for several federal grant applications including North I-25, South I-25 and smaller rural projects.

The commitment of the SB 267 money for all of the approved funds depends on the award of federal funds.

The Transportation Commission directs the Colorado Department of Transportation that manages the state’s transportation system.