Feds kick in $7M for NoCo roadway improvements near I-25

The Colorado Department of Transportation recently received a $6.97 million boost for the federal government to help improve Northern Colorado’s busy roadway network between Fort Collins and south of Loveland.

“This grant improves a four-lane, 14-mile section of north Interstate 25 between the cities of Loveland and Fort Collins through Larimer County,” according to CDOT documents. “Key features include tolled express lanes with ITS technology; replacement of two bridges; safety, structural, and multi-modal improvements, including bike-pedestrian access under the interstate; bus-only slip ramps; and a regional trail connection.”

The state sought a $25 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery grant in 2016. The U.S. Department of Transportation initially chipped in $15 million, which “was enough for us to get the project started,” CDOT spokesman Jared Fiel said. 

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When there were some unused funds left in the DOT’s TIGER grant coffers, CDOT reached back out and was given an additional grant of nearly $7 million. 

“This nearly $7 million will continue improvements on the roadway for the many Coloradans and visitors who rely on it every day, and I’m pleased the Department of Transportation continues to recognize how important this project is to the people and economy of the Centennial state,” U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner said in a prepared statement. 

CDOT crews recently broke ground on improvements between Colorado Highway 56 near Berthoud and Colorado Highway 402 near Johnstown. It will likely take more than a year to complete the project, Fiel said. 

“With all of the growth we have in this area, we know we’re definitely going to need more roadways sooner rather than later,” he said. 

Greeley was the seventh-fastest-growing metropolitan statistical area in the nation — encompassing all of Weld County — adding 9,031 residents between July 1, 2017, to July 1, 2018, according to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The Fort Collins-Loveland MSA — comprised of Larimer County — added 6,525 people, good for the 34th-fastest rate in the country. The Boulder metro area added 2,005, and Broomfield County boosted its population by 1,035.

With all of those additional residents come additional cars and additional strain on the region’s transportation infrastructure — particularly along I-25.