Highway widening plan 'devastating' to businesses

By Cherry Sokoloski
North Forty News

Connect the red dots, and one will find a lot of upset business owners along U.S. Highway 287 north of Fort Collins.

The dots can be seen on a map of the roadway between State Highway 1 and the LaPorte Bypass, a segment that is scheduled for widening from two lanes to four. The 30 red dots indicate relocations of homes and businesses that may be necessary if the current preferred alternative, A-4, is chosen. One of those dots sits right on top of Ron's Equipment Co., at 906 N. Highway 287.

"We think the A-4 alternative is the worst in terms of impact on businesses," said Ron Lonneman, who owns the farm equipment company with his wife, Kay.

The Colorado Department of Transportation will hold a public hearing about the proposed road widening on Dec. 2, 4 to 7 p.m., at Grace Fellowship Church, 1201 N. College Ave. A presentation will be given at 5:30 p.m.

CDOT has been working on the project for six years, and it will likely be another five years before construction begins, provided the plan is approved by the Federal Highway Administration. In November, CDOT mailed letters to property owners along the route, including a map showing the preferred alternative route. The route follows the same alignment as the current highway, with additional right-of-way taken from both sides of the road.

Lonneman said he would prefer Alternative B, a new alignment that was also considered by CDOT. Alternative B would run parallel to the existing roadway but south of it, cutting off just north of Dandelion Mini-Storage and going west and north to tie into the LaPorte Bypass. It would run mostly through farmland but would also impact homes and businesses.

CDOT estimates that the preferred alternative, A-4, would require the relocation of 32 to 42 homes and businesses.

"I'm not trying to stop progress," Lonneman said, acknowledging that the highway needs to be improved. However, he thinks CDOT should be more aware of the revenues and number of employees affected by relocating his business and several others. He estimates that more than 100 employees would be affected by the A-4 alternative. At Ron's Equipment alone, 12 families would be impacted.

For Lonneman, the lack of communication between CDOT and affected businesses is a major complaint. Two people talked to him about a year ago, indicating that his business could be impacted by the highway improvement, but he has heard nothing since.

"Maybe it's time we sat down at the table," he said. "I think it's time for people to start communicating properly."

Carol Parr, CDOT's project manager for the highway widening, said it's premature to talk to business owners who would be affected by the project because the route hasn't been finalized. She expects final approval by the FHWA in February or March. "Until then, we can't say for certain what alternative will be chosen," she said.

Ron's Equipment has been at its current location since 1992, and Lonneman would like to stay where he is. "You can't believe the undertaking to move one of these things," he said, adding that it would take millions of dollars to duplicate his present setup. It's difficult to find land, he noted, and his current location is good for his rural customers. When he was visited last year, Lonneman was told that a new right-of-way could come within 15 feet of his building. That would make his business "nonfunctional," he said.

Jim Quinlan, owner of Jax Farm & Ranch, said the A-4 alternative, as drawn on the map that he received, would have a "devastating effect" on his business. "It would eliminate a large part of parking and yard, both critical for a farm store," he said. He noted that the map shows most of the new right- of-way on the north side of the highway where Jax is located, instead of the south where there are residences. "Why widen to the north instead of the south?" he asked. Quinlan also favors Alternative B instead of A-4.

Larry Cox, co-owner of 287 Supply, said, "We've got a traffic problem here, and we've got to do something." However, he wants to see more specific drawings of the proposed alignment so he knows how it would affect his business. Even the construction period will have a negative economic impact, he noted.