Government, business leaders cut ribbon on I-25 express lanes, mobility hub

LOVELAND — Years of collaboration among city, county, state and federal governments, along with active participation of business interests, were celebrated today with a ribbon-cutting for the now-complete mobility hub in the middle of Interstate 25 at Loveland along with the completion of express lanes from Berthoud to Fort Collins.

Those express lanes will fully open — some already are — by Dec. 15. Some lane disruptions to install and test tolling equipment will occur into 2024. 

The mobility hub will begin to receive bus passengers early next year, and work on Segment 5 — a six mile stretch from Mead to Berthoud, will also begin next year.

When that’s complete, motorists using the interstate will have access to express lanes or three full-service lanes extending all the way from Denver through Fort Collins.

“This is an example of all levels of government working together with private partners to get this done,” said Gov. Jared Polis prior to the ribbon cutting ceremony. “Without the right constellation (of partners), we wouldn’t be here today or maybe it would be five years from now,” he said.

And even if it had been five years from now, that would have been far better than the original estimates that forecast expansion of north I-25 by 2075.

As noted by Shoshana Lew, executive director of the Colorado Department of Transportation, the completed roadway represents “how a creative team working with local and business partners made this happen.”

John Cater, division administrator for the Federal Highway Administration, also noted how local residents rose up in rebellion when highway officials predicted expansion by 2075.

“This is a great accomplishment. Just a few years ago, it was said that expansion couldn’t occur until 2075, but folks here said ‘no,’ and here we are standing at a finished project,” Cater said.

It was people of all political persuasions who made it happen, said Republican Weld County Commissioner Scott James, who joined with Democrats to find financing. “It’s an example of when people of differing ideologies can come together to do the right thing,” he said.

He related a story about how Johnstown along with Loveland, Larimer and Weld counties were encouraged to contribute large sums to the project. Johnstown and Loveland were each asked to pony up $6 million.

Johnstown at first turned down the request, James said; he was a member of the Johnstown city council at the time. Then, members of that group realized that they had made a mistake and reversed course. 

“Good governments do what is right,” he said.

While the work in Northern Colorado on I-25 resulted from a broad coalition of business and government, the effort was a catalyst of sorts for similar activities statewide.

Sandra Solin, CEO of Capitol Solutions and the lobbyist for the Northern Colorado Legislative Alliance, said that in order to leverage revenue from all sources it required the support of chamber of commerce coalitions elsewhere in the state. Together they raised billions of dollars that helped support highway improvements throughout the state.

Participants in the ribbon-cutting toured the mobility hub. From parking lots on both sides of the highway — on the west side it is just north of UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies — bus riders will traverse a concrete path to well-lighted concrete tunnels that extend under the highway. The tunnels will branch out, one side to a loading platform for southbound travelers and the other side to a platform for northbound travelers. Buses will pull into the loading hubs without exiting the freeway, then rejoin traffic when passengers have boarded.

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