City takes slow road to faster 392 fix

By Dan MacArthur
Fossil Creek Current

Fort Collins will cast the deciding vote on proceeding with a plan for speeding replacement of the exasperating Highway 392 and Interstate 25 interchange.

That vote will follow a Feb. 12 meeting when the city council will look at that troubled interchange in the context of the concerns surrounding all the other interchanges within the city.

"We're going to have a work session that will look at the broader issue," explained Mayor Doug Hutchinson, while acknowledging that, "the main reason we're doing it is because of the 392 issue."

The study session became necessary after the council last year reached an impasse when considering adoption of an improvement plan for the Highway 392 interchange. As a result, the vote was postponed pending further discussion.

Contrary to some accounts, Hutchinson stressed, the proposal was not rejected, and it remains alive for a later vote.

The plan was developed in partnership with Windsor in an elaborate process starting in fall 2006. It took into consideration the potential future land uses on both sides of the interchange, configuration of the interchange and frontage roads, and the sticky issue of financing the $21 million to $25 million project.

The study determined that the cost of any interchange improvement likely would require a mix of funding provided by property owners, shoppers, the municipalities and the state - which repeatedly made clear it had little to put in the pot.

The gloomy outlook lifted when another player entered the game. The Indianapolis-based Lauth Group acquired an option to purchase property on both sides of the interchange. Lauth proposes to develop a regional shopping center on the northeast quadrant of the property in Windsor. The "Ptarmigan Towne Center at Windsor" would encompass at least 650,000 square feet of retail space.

But Larimer County codes require that adequate access be provided before any development could occur. That increased the incentive to relieve the 392 interchange choke point sooner than much later when and if state funding becomes available.

As part of an interchange improvement plan, Lauth proposed accelerating improvement of the interchange and offered to bear half of the cost of doing so. As proposed, Fort Collins, Windsor and Lauth would seek authorization from the Colorado Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration to pursue speedier preparation of a detailed CDOT interchange feasibility study. The cost of pursuing that authorization was estimated at almost $154,000.

The expedited process is estimated to take a year if the authorization is granted. If not, the feasibility study would be delayed until the North I-25 EIS in completed in 2009 or likely later. The environmental impact statement will assess future transportation improvements along the I-25 corridor from Denver to Wellington.

The Fort Collins and Windsor planning boards in October unanimously recommended acceptance of the improvement plan and subsequent scheme to speed design of the interchange. The Windsor Town Board adopted that recommendation in November. Now it comes down to Fort Collins.

"I'm cautiously optimistic," Hutchinson said. "I believe the majority of the council does believe it's a problem."

Hutchinson said he believes the work session will serve to better identify the problem and provide the council with a clearer understanding of the issues. He said that process has already started with a January council tour of the interchanges to see the situation first-hand.

Regardless the sentiments surrounding the proposed improvement plan, however, Hutchinson said it's essential to continue the spirit of cooperation already established.