Senators Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Michael Bennet (D-CO) today (December 6, 2018) announced that the North Front Range Transportation & Air Quality Council has been awarded a $20 million Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grant from the Department of Transportation (DOT) for its North I-25 Segment 6 improvement project.
“We strongly advocated to the Department of Transportation how important this infrastructure funding would be for Colorado and I-25, and I’m thrilled to announce it will be coming soon to help support these important projects,” said Senator Gardner. “As Colorado continues to grow we need to ensure our infrastructure is prepared to handle it. Going forward, I will continue to work with my colleagues and the Administration to help address infrastructure needs across our state.”
“Colorado’s roads require significant investment to keep pace with our state’s continuous growth,” said Senator Bennet. “Thanks to the tireless efforts of Northern Colorado communities, this $20 million for North I-25 will build on past TIGER grants to decrease congestion in one of the state’s busiest corridors.”
The BUILD grant helps support the Northern Colorado Prospers Goal #1 of securing necessary funds to widen North I-25 between Fort Collins and Longmont.
“This is another step in the right direction for getting North I-25 widened and creating safer and efficient travel which is essential to our families and businesses,” said David May, President & CEO of the Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce and convener of the Fix North I-25 Business Alliance. “Thanks to our Congressional delegation for working to get our roads better funded.”
Additionally, the Senators announced that the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) will be receiving a $20 million BUILD grant for its vehicle-to-everything (V2X) project, which seeks to bolster the connectivity of transportation infrastructure through the deployment of fiber across highways in Colorado, and the City of Glenwood Springs will be receiving a $7 million BUILD grant for its project to modernize infrastructure along the City’s South Midland Avenue, including a new waterline and broadband infrastructure.
I-25 Grant
The $20 million BUILD grant will help with widening a segment of North I-25 between SH 402 and SH 56/Little Thompson Bridge through the addition of an express tolled lane in each direction. CDOT has estimated that in 2040, the I-25 Corridor will see a 60 percent increase in daily vehicle traffic.
Work on the issue
View here Gardner/Bennet letter to DOT regarding North I-25
View here Gardner/Bennet letter to DOT regarding V2X
View here Gardner letter to DOT regarding the Sound Midland reconstruction and rural broadband project