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HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolution-1982-0778 RESOLUTION NO. 778 Series of 1982 TITLE: RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF THE C-470 STATEMENT WHEREAS, the proposed C-470 Centennial Parkway is a 26-mile long, four-lane parkway beginning slightly south of the present interchange of County Line Road and 1-25 and following the current County Line Road corridor west past Santa Fe Drive and then looping north to its termination with 1-70; and ~~EREAS, a task force from Denver, Golden, Lakewood, and Englewood Chambers of Commerce have prepared a statement of support for expediting this project. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of wheat Ridge that the attached Statement entitled, "C-470: A REAFFIRMATION OF SUPPORT", be endorsed by this City Council and that a copy of this Resolution be forwarded to the appropriate State and Federal officials. DONE AND RESOLVED this 22nd day of March, 1982. ~ f ,~~,(,-,1:Z::2:, FRANK STITES, MAYOR ATTEST: 1,// (,-- /Z ct'[, /tc; / CAROL F. HN1PF, Q1TY CLERK , C-470: A REAFFIRMATION OF SUPPORT As proposed, the C-470, or Centennial Parkway, project is a 26-mile-long, four-lane parkway beginning slightly south of the present interchange of County Line Road and 1-25 and following the current County Line Road corridor, stretching west past Santa Fe Drive and then looping north to its termination with 1-70, near the foothills. THE NEED The need for C-470 is now more acute than ten years ago when 1-470 was first envisioned and five years ago when the present concept of the C-470 project was agreed to. Development pressures continue in the south, southwest and west quadrants of the Denver metropolitan area. Many of the developments that were only proposed when the Final Environmental Impact Statement was approved in 1980 are now well underway. In particular, the south, southwest and west quadrants are the location of a number of major projects. Today the areal that would directly benefit from C-470 is experiencing massive popula- tion and employment growth. It is conservatively estimated that the area t~ be served by C-470 currently has a population of 150,000 and an employment base of 50,000 people. Today's scenario illustrates the acute need for C-470. But this need is empha- sized even more when the population and employment projections for the year 2000 are forecasted. It is conservatively estimated that 300,000 people will reside in the area while 200,000 people will be employed in the area. These large increases in population and employment translate into massive traffic pro- jections for the southwest quadrant of the Denver metropolitan area. With completion of C-470, it is estimated that the facility will carry 50,000 vehicles per day by the year 2000. Without C-470 the existing road network will become more congested due to increased traffic, air quality will worsen along the corridor due to stop-and-go traffic and traffic safety will continue to deteriorate. lThe C-470 impact area includes County Line, Jefferson Foothills Douglas/Arapahoe, Lakewood, South Central Metro Area, South Denver, Southeast Jefferson. 2Employment based on the following projects, including but not limited to: Academy Park; Arapahoe Airport Center; Broadway Industrial Park; Corporate Center; Denver Technological Center; Denver West; Dove Valley Center; Golden Energy Park; Greenwood Lakes; Greenwood Plaza; Greenwood Plaza South; Highland Park; Highlands Ranch; Highline Professional Center; Inter Plaza West; Inverness Industrial Park; Jefferson Judicial Center; Justin Executive Park I; Justin Executive Park II; Ken Caryl; Lincoln Park East; Meadows/West Meadows; Meridian Office Park; Overlook Park; Park Meadows Residential; Parkmoor; Potomac Park; Southbridge; Southfield Industrial Park; Southgate Business Park; Southpark; Southwest Plaza. - 2- Escalating land values along the corridor rise at an average rate of 2.5% per month. At that rate for each month that the project is delayed, the total cost to taxpayers for one year is $7.2 million. THE RISTO R Y The need for a southwest circumferential route in the southern Denver metropolitan area was first stated in a 1958 report by what is now known as the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DR COG). Shortly after the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1968 authorized additional circumferential mileage on the Interstate System, the Colorado Department of Highways requested the addition of Interstate 470 (1-470) to the Interstate System. 1-470 was authorized as part of the Interstate System and has been included in regional plans since that time. An 1-470 corridor location study was conducted in 1970 and impact studies on parks and recreation resources were conducted in 1971. In 1972, the Colorado Depratment of Highways submitted a Final Environmental Impact Statement for the 1-470 project, recommending a circumferential highway similar to the proposed route location for Colorado 470 (C-470). The statement was reviewed by the Federal Highway Administration and other governmental agencies. Questions arose regarding air quality, alternate modes of transportation, alternate highway alignments and effects on land use. As a result of these questions and concerns, the Department of Highways was directed by the Federal Highway Administration to revise the 1-470 Environmental Impact Statement in June 1975. - In June 1975, Governor Lamm, responding to the concerns of a great number of citizens, appointed a 12-member panel to analyze compromise solutions and determine whether the 1-470 project or some alternative should be built. The panel, which became known as the 1-470 Ad Hoc Commission, was created in the midst of an emotionally charged debate which was beginning to polarize the entire state. The issue was whether 1-470 was needed and was socially and environmentally acceptable. Concurrently the Department initiated an intensive year-long study to remedy the deficiencies of the Environmental Impact Statement and to re-examine the transportation needs of the southwest quadrant of metropolitan Denver. Using Highway Department studies, local government requests and public input, the Ad Hoc Commission developed a recommmendation. On December 17, 1976, the 1-470 Ad Hoc Commission unanimously recommended to the Governor that Interstate 470 be withdrawn and that a portion of the funding be "transferred" to three specific substitute projects which better addressed the transportation needs of southwest Denver: Colorado 470 (a four-lane parkway), Santa Fe Drive corridor improvements and the widening and extension of South Kipling Street. The balance of the "transfer" funds was requested for other worthy transportation projects in the urbanized area in March 1978. Some of these projects emphasize increased high-occupancy vehicle and mass transit use. The recommendation, as required, was adopted by: the State Highway Commission; Arapahoe, Jefferson and Douglas Counties; the Cities of Littleton and Lakewood and the City and County of Denver. The recommendation was also endorsed by all municipali- ties, counties and service organizations in the affected area. On July 28, 1977, Governor Richard D. Lamm signed the Interstate 470 Withdrawal- Substitution Proposal which was submitted to the Secre~ary of the Department of .Trans- portation for approval. The Department of TransportatIOn, through the Federal HIghway Administration (FHWA) and the Urban Mass Transit Administration (UMTA), approved the proposal on September 30, 1977. - 3 - The Draft Environmental Impact Statement was circulated to the public in August 1978. Approximately 150 attended the Route Location Public Hearing held in September 1978. All who spoke supported the project. After a detailed analysis and public involvement process the Centennial Parkway access control plan was announced in January 1979. The U. S. Department of Transportation approved the Final Environmental Im~act Statement and Section 4(f) Statement in May 1980, and Route Location approval environmental clearance) was granted in July 1980. The Preliminary Design Hearing for Phase I (1-25 - Santa Fe) was held August 27, 1980. Public response to the project design plans for both C-470 and County Line Road was favorable. Preliminary Design Approval of Phase I was received December 16, 1980. The Design Hearing for Phase II (1-70 to U.S. 285) was held on March 25, 1981 and Design Approval was granted September 11, 1981. The Preliminary Design Hearing for Phase III was held on February 18, 1982.3 C-470 FINANCING The C-470 project is funded with Interstate Transfer Highway Funds whereby the federal government provides 85% of the funds and the state provides a 15% match. The inter- state interchanges (1-25 and 1-70) are funded with the federal government providing 90% coupled with a state match of 10%. Though the formula for funding the project has and will not change, the state's funding share as outlined in the 1977 agreement has not been met up to now by the federal government. As of January 1982, Colorado had received $54.8 million in Interstate Transfer Highway Funds. This only accounts for roughly 20.1% of the state's entitlement since 1977, the year that Colorado withdrew 1-470 as an interstate project. The $54.8 million was allo- cated to the state in the following fashion: Interstate Transfer Highway Funds (all projects) (millions) 1978 - 1979 - 1980 - 1981 - 1982 - TOTAL $4.1 11.2 14.4 17.2 7.9 $54.8 Colorado will receive $7.9 million in fiscal year 1982 which results in only 4.2% of the state's remaining unfunded balance being met. 3"Centennial Parkway History" from a Colorado Department of Highways pamphlet - February 18, 1982. -4- Of the $54.8 million in Interstate Transfer Highway Funds, $19.1 million4 has gone to the C-470 project. This $19.1 million was allocated in the following manner: C-470 Funds (millions) 1978 - 1979 - 1980 - 1981 - 1982 - TOTAL $ 2.0 1.9 -0- 10.4 5.1 $19.4 When compared to other states' entitlement, Colorado's entitlement as a percent of its unfunded balance is lower than most other states whose Interstate withdrawal was approved in 1977 or earlier, and even less than for most states whose withdrawals were approved subsequent to 1977. THE ISSUE The low level of funding forms the main point of contention. According to the 1977 agreement made with the federal government, congressional chairmen, committee mem- bers and staffs, it was implied that funding for C-470 would be forthcoming on an equit- able and timely basis. As illustrated in the previous sections, the commitment made has not been honored. A REAFFIRMATION Honoring this commitment, as implied in the 1977 agreement with the federal govern- ment, is obviously more critical today. The current proposal for C-470 was achieved after much debate by many diverse com- munity groups. C-470 maintains as much support today, if not more, than it did in 1977 when the federal government agreed to the proposal. With a doubling in population expected and a fourfold increase in employment anticipated in the area impacted by the C-470 project, it is estimated that the parkway will carry 50,000 vehicles a day by the year 2000. This compares with the estimated 13,300 vehicles a day that County Line Road, the main east-west arterial being used today in the corridor, presently carries. The 50,000 vehicles a day projected in the year 2000 is a realistic figure based on current and expected development in the C-470 impact area. The current road network will simply not accommodate the anticipated demand. Only C- 470, and related projects, will provide needed relief for the area's road system. As demonstrated, the need for C-470 is apparent. But the need is not being addressed. Funding for the project has been reduced to unfortunately low levels. It is anticipated 4The low level of funding from Interstate Transfer Highway Funds allocated to the C-470 project represents the fact that the project did not receive approval of the Final Environmental Impact Statement until 1980. -5- that the total cogt of the parkway is $160.2 million plus $45.8 million for the 1-70 and 1- 25 interchanges. If the 1982 level of funding continues at $5.1 million per year, it will take 32 years for the project to be completed. Under the current Colorado Department of Highways five-year plan, it is anticipated that roughly $30 million a year will be allocated to the state for all Interstate Transfer Highway projects. Of this amount, the Colorado Department of Highways projects that approximately $17 million a year would go for the C-470 project. This would result in a ten-year project period for completion of the parkway. The Colorado Department of Highways estimates that it could reasonably spend upwards of $30 million per year on the project. Under this scenario it would take roughly five years to complete C-470, a much more acceptable time frame to respond to current development pressures. Though Congress and the federal government are faced with the critical job of reducing federal spending to acceptable levels, it is believed that C-470 represents a critical need that must be addressed and should be funded at an acceptable and reasonable level. As the Colorado Department of Highways has demonstrated, a yearly appropriation of $30 million a year would be a reasonable and acceptable amount. We again pledge our support for C-470 and encourage the federal government to reaffirm its funding commitment to the C-470 project, as well as other Interstate Transfer High- way projects like Santa Fe Drive and Kipling Street, that was implied in the 1977 agree- ment. 5The 1-70 and 1-25 interchanges are funded separately with Interstate Highway Funds.