Diagonal underpass meeting set for Dec.13 at the Left Hand Grange

The Boulder County Public Works Department is hosting an open house at the Left Hand Grange No. 9 in Niwot, on Wednesday, Dec. 13, from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

The focus of the meeting is to present information on a proposed underpass from the planned Highway 119 (Diagonal HIghway) median-bikeway into Niwot on 2nd Avenue.

County officials hope to gather feedback from the community on the location of the underpass and how it would connect bicyclists and pedestrians using the median bikeway to Niwot.

The original Safety-Mobility-Bikeway Project did not include an underpass to Niwot, but Niwot residents and organizations, including the Niwot Business Association, the Niwot Local Improvement District Advisory Committee, and the Niwot Community Association, argued that relying on an at-grade crossing of the Diagonal at Niwot Road posed a safety hazard to pedestrians and bicyclists using the bikeway in the highway median.

The intersection of Highway 119 and Niwot Road has been the site of numerous accidents, some fatal, in the last few years and the Colorado State Patrol described it as the second-most dangerous intersection in Boulder County.

During the project review process, the Boulder County Commissioners instructed county staff to include plans for an underpass as part of the design process, but noted that funding for that aspect of the project had not yet been obtained.

The Niwot Local Improvement District funded design work by Niwot architectural firm Fletemeyer Lee & Associates as part of the creation of a Niwot Master Plan as it applies to the Niwot business district. That design work has been provided to Boulder County Public Works, and the department has further designed alternative places for an underpass under the Longmont-bound lanes of the Diagonal Highway.

Several safety improvements are planned as part of the project, including dedicated bus lanes, as well as a pedestrian-bikeway path down the median of the Diagonal, connecting Longmont and Boulder. The project is relying on multiple funding sources, including federal funds, and is a joint project of Boulder County, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and the Regional Transportation District (RTD).

The county's press release stated, "In the coming months, the project team will be completing the proposed design, planning the potential phasing of construction, and establishing a schedule for construction. The projects will begin in 2024."

For more information see the websites for the Niwot Community Association and Boulder County Public Works, or email co119safetyandmobility@gmail.com.