Hwy 119 Project plans presented

Approximately 75 people turned out for an open house at the Left Hand Grange No. 9 on Dec. 13 to review plans for Highway 119 (Diagonal Highway) improvements between Boulder and Longmont.

Representatives from Muller Engineering Company, consultants on the project, were on hand with Boulder County Public Works and RTD staff members to listen to comments and answer questions.

The primary topic of discussion was the design of a pedestrian-bikeway underpass leading from 2nd Avenue in downtown Niwot to the bikeway planned for the Diagonal Highway median, which would also connect to the bus stop and Park-n-Ride parking lot near the Niwot Road intersection with the Diagonal.

Three options were presented in a written survey handed out at the open house. The first option, which was also the most expensive, was most popular with Niwot architect David Lee, and with Eric Bergeson, president of the Niwot Business Association.

Lee and his firm, Fletemeyer Lee & Associates, were hired by the Niwot Business Association, with funding from the Niwot Local Improvement District (LID) to do a preliminary design for a connection when the original plans for the bikeway median project did not include an underpass allowing passage into Niwot from the bikeway.

Bergeson was part of a committee of the LID that worked with Lee and the county to come up with a design for the proposed underpass. As a result of their efforts, and with the support of other community groups, the County Commissioners instructed county staff to include the underpass in the design, although funding for it has not yet been secured.

Lee and Bergeson favored the first option because it would create a direct pathway from the bus stop and Park-n-Ride to an underpass into Niwot at 2nd Avenue, as well as a connection to the bikeway. The length of the underpass is longer than in options two and three, which makes it more expensive, but Lee noted that it would be directly visible to people getting off the bus or parking in the RTD lot, whereas the other options lacked that same sight line.

Boulder County Planning & Permitting Department Director Dale Case was also on hand to meet with residents and answer questions. And though they were not scheduled to attend as part of their duties as commissioners, both Marta Loachamin and Ashley Stolzmann were also in attendance, visiting with residents and staff.

Danny Hellrung of Muller Engineering was available to answer specific questions about improvements to the Diagonal Highway project at the Highway 52 intersection, which would include realignment of Highway 52 and a bikeway connection to the industrial park on the northeast corner of the intersection.

Other proposed changes presented included eliminating the Monarch Road crossing at the Diagonal, eliminating the 55th Street crossing at the Diagonal, reducing the number of lanes at the Airport Road crossing, and connecting the LoBo Trail at Ogallala Road to an existing underpass.

Accident data at each intersection was included on charts presented. More information is available online at CDOT.