Taft Hill neighborhood concerned about losing trees

By JoAn Bjarko
North Forty News

Trees and landscaping are the biggest concerns voiced by North Taft Hill residents at recent open houses about widening the heavily used roadway.

Saving trees, however, largely depends on whether Xcel Energy will put utility lines underground instead of just moving poles, said construction project manager Kyle Arend. "We don't have control over what Xcel does," he said.

Underground utilities have less impact on trees, Arend noted, but it costs four to five times as much to bury lines. Underground utilities can stay in the roadway, Arend explained, but overhead utilities have to be 12 to 18 feet from the road. The county should know more about Xcel's plans by February.

The Larimer County Engineering Department has proposed a $3 million project to widen North Taft Hill Road from LaPorte Avenue to the Poudre River. The roadway will still have one travel lane in both directions, but it will get paved shoulders for bicycles and pedestrians. The Vine Drive intersection will be widened in all directions to accommodate turn lanes and shoulders, and it will get a traffic signal.

George McCambridge, who lives near the intersection and frequently hears the sound of crunching metal, said the traffic light makes sense and will improve safety. "I think the county is doing the right thing," he said. "Growth is not limited to southeast Fort Collins. It has to be addressed."

About 9,000 vehicles a day use North Taft Hill Road, according to county engineers. Laporte Avenue sees 6,000 vehicles a day and Vine Drive gets 4,200.

Resident Kathy Corwin Doesken said this also is a good time to think about replacing old clay tile sewer lines, rather than digging up a new road after the sewer lines fail. She is encouraging neighbors to get together and perhaps form a local improvement district to finance the cost over time.

Arend said sewer service is provided by the city in that area, but the county can help get the neighborhood talking to the right people.

Corwin Doesken is also concerned about the future speed limit on the improved road. The current speed is 30 mph, and she does not want it increased. She noted that driveways are close together because the lots are long and narrow.

As the project design is refined, the county will be talking to residents along the roadway about acquiring rights-of-way. A final design open house will be held in summer 2006 and a preconstruction open house will be held in spring 2007. The design is very similar to the work done on Overland Trail. Questions can be directed to Arend at 498-5734 or karend@larimer.org.