Time running out for Highway 287 comments

By Cherry Sokoloski
North Forty News

For those interested in a possible realignment of U.S. Highway 287 north of LaPorte, time is running out for giving opinions on the project. Public comment on possible options must be received by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers no later than May 2.

The highway would have to be moved if Glade Reservoir is built, and the Colorado Department of Transportation is getting its ducks in a row in case that project goes forward. CDOT and the Army Corps have identified five possible realignment routes for Highway 287 if the current highway is inundated by a new reservoir.

A public open house showcasing the road options was held March 30 in LaPorte. The event drew a large crowd, all eyeing the possible road alignments with their own homes and properties in mind.

All five routes that made the final cut are east of the proposed reservoir. All would go north from the current 287 Bypass through the Holcim cement plant property. Four routes would head west through a natural cut in the hogback south of Owl Canyon, as an extension of County Road 66. The fifth would swing north, avoiding the hogback. County Road 72 (Owl Canyon Road) would tie into this alignment.

Depending on the option chosen, the new section of 287 would rejoin the current highway at or south of Owl Canyon.

Anna Betts, who lives on CR 72, said she opposes the option that would tie into that road. "Keep it on the cement plant property that's already torn up," she advised.

Others warned that putting the highway through the cut in the hogback would create a dangerous wind tunnel. "The wind is bad up there now," said Nancy Cowley, who lives close to the pass. She favored the CR 72 option.

Some expressed concern about the intersection of Highway 287 and Overland Trail. The junction, already considered dangerous by local residents, would be complicated by a highway relocation, since the new road would cut north near the intersection. However, CDOT engineer Dave Martinez said the agency is committed to making the intersection safe. "We would put a lot of effort into the intersection of 287 and Overland Trail," he said.

Larimer County Commissioner Kathay Rennels attended the open house and said she was pleased at the turnout. If the Glade project goes forward, she said, the public is likely to be more concerned about the road relocation than the reservoir. "Anytime you move a road, it's a big deal," she commented.

A consultant is currently preparing an environmental impact statement for the Northern Integrated Supply Project, which includes the proposed Glade Reservoir as well as Galeton Reservoir north of Greeley. The project must be approved by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

After the public comment period ends on the highway alignments, CDOT and the Army Corps will decide which alignments to include in the EIS. A draft EIS should be ready by December, 2005, according to the NISP schedule.

The Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District, which is coordinating NISP, hopes to have a permit in hand by the end of 2006 and wants to finish Glade Reservoir by 2012. Moving Highway 287 would be one of the first construction tasks undertaken. Galeton Reservoir is slated for completion in 2016.

Comments on the possible Highway 287 realignments may be faxed to the Army Corps of Engineers, attention Chandler Peter, at 307-772-2920.

Meanwhile, the Army Corps has released comments gathered in its scoping process for the NISP project as a whole. The issue drawing the most comments was the realignment of Highway 287, followed by concerns that the reservoir project would encourage future growth along the Front Range.

Other concerns included the loss of agricultural water rights, the loss of water through evaporation at the reservoirs, effects on stream flow, the geologic stability at Glade Reservoir, socioeconomic impacts, overall environmental impacts and impacts on wildlife. Wildlife concerns included possible impacts on fish and other aquatic life.

The scoping report is available online at the Army Corps web site, www.nwo.usace.army.mil/html/od-tl/eis-info.htm.