Owl Canyon on project list for new tax district

By Dan MacArthur
North Forty News

Owl Canyon Road motorists would get a smoother ride sooner with formation of a regional transportation authority.

The nearly $17.6 million paving and improvement project was among the regional roadway projects recommended for funding through a tax- and fee-supported RTA. Also included is more than $24.9 million for improving North College Avenue from Vine Drive to state Highway 1.

Larimer County Public Works Director Marc Engemoen said the county pushed for extension of the RTA boundaries to include the Owl Canyon project. "With the new boundaries, we're comfortable with it," he said.

Though the proposed boundary extends north of Wellington, the town itself is not included.

The RTA, a $658 million transportation proposal, is likely to be presented this fall to regional voters. The authority0 would be financed with a 1 percent sales and use tax and a $10 increase in annual vehicle registration fees.

Forty-five percent of the tax proceeds would go toward regional roadway improvements. Forty-two percent would be returned to participating governments for their own transportation needs, and 13 percent would be applied to regional mass-transit projects.

Taxes funding the regional and local roadway component would expire in 10 years, while the 0.13 percent tax dedicated to transit programs is proposed to continue indefinitely.

The something-for-everyone RTA package was assembled by an ungainly 35-member committee assigned with the touchy task of reconciling the diverse and often conflicting interests of 11 northern Colorado governments.

"It's a collaboration and a whole series of compromises," said John Daggett, regional transportation planning manager for the North Front Range Metropolitan Planning Organization, who has coordinated the RTA effort. "There was a lot of giving on a lot of people's parts."

Some unwilling to make those compromises walked away from the group, he conceded. But despite all the "scars and bruises," Daggett said he's convinced a broad consensus was created that makes him "mildly optimistic" that the RTA has a chance.

"I think there will be some people who will not try to pass the RTA ballot issue, but they will not oppose it," he predicted.

After clearing that first huge hurdle, the next one will be getting the support of the respective elected officials to negotiate the intergovernmental agreements necessary before the proposal can be placed on the November ballot.

All were scheduled to hear the pitch on May 30 and determine whether there was enough common ground to continue. "If the political will is there, there's plenty of time to make it happen," Daggett said. "If not, it doesn't matter how much time we have."

An RTA, as the name implies, is a regional approach to dealing with dramatically increasing transportation demands and decreasing funds from the state and federal governments. It would be governed by a board of directors composed of one elected representative from each of the participating governments: Berthoud, Evans, Fort Collins, Greeley, Johnstown, LaSalle, Loveland, Milliken, Timnath, Windsor and Larimer County.

Predictably, Daggett said, the biggest conflict was between advocates of more pavement and those favoring public transit. The $256 million in recommended regional road improvements was spread throughout the proposed RTA district. The bulk, with a few exceptions, was clustered in or around Fort Collins, Loveland and Greeley. The projects were not prioritized but would be later by the board of directors.

The proposal allocates $52 million toward the $80 million cost of replacing the I-25 interchanges at Prospect Road, Crossroads Boulevard and U.S. Highway 34 and State Highway 392. The remaining 35 percent must come from some form of local funding. Use of RTA funds for adding or reconstructing I-25 lanes would be expressly prohibited.

While some transit supporters may believe they came up short, $13 million of the nearly $84 million allocated would establish limited bus service among Fort Collins, Greeley, Johnstown, Loveland, Milliken and Windsor.

Almost $25 million is designated for inter-regional bus service from Greeley to connect with the Regional Transportation District in Brighton via U.S 85, and from Fort Collins to connect with the RTD in Longmont via U.S. 287. Express service between the region and Union Station in downtown Denver also would be established at a $9.3 million cost as the precursor to eventual bus rapid transit or rail service.

The biggest single chunk of transit money, more than $47 million, is reserved for possible establishment of a fixed-route rail or bus rapid transit connection to the metro area, providing the RTA can jump through the necessary hoops to become eligible for federal funding. An additional $10 million would be allocated for efforts related to establishing commuter rail.

Another $7.5 million is slated for multi-modal transit stations, and $19 million to expand and improve paratransit service.

Finally, almost $274 million would be returned to participants to meet their own transportation needs. This "shareback" would be based on population and could not be used to replace funds they currently allocate to transportation. Fort Collins would be the biggest recipient with almost $96.7 million, while Larimer County would get $31.5 million.