Mason Corridor federal grant decision due

By Dan MacArthur
Fossil Creek Current

Fort Collins this month should learn whether it was successful in snagging a $55 million federal grant to fund the bulk of the proposed Mason Corridor project.

If so, city officials say the ambitious Bus Rapid Transit system could be in service within two years.

The $68 million project would create a 5.5-mile north-south transportation "backbone" for bus riders, drivers, walkers and bikers. The corridor would parallel the Burlington Northern Santa Fe line, extending along Mason Street from Cherry to the site of a future transit station south of Harmony. Eventually it is expected the system could be extended to provide service to Loveland and the Denver metroplex.

The Mason Express buses, described by the city as "rubber-tired light rail," would traverse the corridor every 10 minutes along dedicated guideways. The MAX buses would pick up and deliver passengers to transit stations at Harmony, Horsetooth, Drake, Prospect, Laurel, Olive and the Downtown Transit Center at Cherry.

Those stations, in turn, are expected to become centers for transit-oriented development and redevelopment bordering the corridor.

"This is much more than a bus corridor. It is a legacy project," City Manager Darin Atteberry said in a recent demonstration for U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard.

The city, state and Downtown Development Authority provided the 20 percent in matching funds required to be eligible for the Federal Transit Authority Small Starts grant program. The program distributes to smaller cities some federal transit funds typically consumed almost entirely by major metropolitan areas.

Allard cautioned that competition for the grants is fierce, but noted that Fort Collins has a good reputation with transportation officials for consistently completing projects on time and under budget.