Cities cooperating on Windsor interchange upgrade

By Dan MacArthur
Fossil Creek Current

The primary players are committed to begin improving the bottlenecked Highway 392 and Interstate 25 interchange sooner than later.

That determination became apparent in an October summit organized by Windsor and Fort Collins officials for those with a stake in the project--particularly owners of property poised for development at the high-profile gateway to both communities.

While the officials and consultants retained to assist in developing the improvement plan avoided making any predictions, "There are things that could happen in a very short time," offered Fort Collins transportation planner Mark Jackson.

With the new spirit of cooperation among the two municipalities, and almost all interested landowners present at the summit, "We ought to be able to get something together real quick," said consulting engineer Jeff Couch.

"Most of us are ready to get down to some detailed design work," concurred John Barnett, a planning consultant representing the owner of the property at the southwest corner of the interchange.

Couch, who represents the owners of a property in that same southwest quadrant, later said he envisioned a phased effort. The western frontage road would be realigned first, he suggested, followed by reconstruction of the ramps on each side of the interstate in advance of eventual replacement of the bridge.

Despite the uncertainty over timing, all agreed the interchange certainly would not be fixed any time soon without local intervention in planning and financing the improvements.

"The reality is (the Colorado Department of Transportation) has no money. That's not going to change any time soon," said Windsor Town Manager Rod Wensing. "The feds and the state are not going to come riding in here on their white horse to save us."

"Together we'll be able to figure out how to make things work," said Fort Collins assistant city manager Diane Jones.

Arising from last year's agreement between Fort Collins and Windsor, the fast-track effort is aimed at developing an interchange improvement plan by early March. That would be followed by an implementation action plan to be in place by late June when the final plan is scheduled for adoption.

Fort Collins senior planner Pete Wray said the plan will not result in a new interchange but will establish a process for improving it.

Identifying potential funding sources is a key element of that implementation plan. "We're going to move through the planning process quickly and get on to the financing," said Bruce Meighen, an environmental engineer with consultant EDAW.

"We're probably going to need a basket of funding alternatives to accomplish the objective," said Wray.

That basket is likely to contain local, state and federal funds. They would be combined with revenues from special improvement districts and impact fees assessed on property owners within a defined area around the interchange.

"We're going to have to mix a lot of public and private partnerships together," said Meighen.

The next stakeholders' meeting for the I-25/SH392 Interchange Improvement Plan is set for Dec. 13 and will be followed by a public open house on Jan. 31. The time and location have not yet been determined.