Colorado county asks for public input on $2 billion plan for transportation improvements to accommodate growth

A growing county in the Denver metro area is planning for how residents will get around in the next 25 years, and asking for public input.

"It's the blood that keeps our county moving, transportation, and we need to be wise about it," said Douglas County Commissioner Kevin Van Winkle.

Douglas County's population, nearly 400,000 today, is expected to grow 16% by 2050.

"In 2050, we're projecting some serious congestion in Douglas County with the continued growth," said Van Winkle.

It's why the county is planning ahead for major transportation investments and asking neighbors to weigh in.

"We're looking 25 years into the future as to where we want our roads and bridges and bike trails and everything to be in the year 2050," Van Winkle said.

The county's 2050 Transportation Plan draft outlines $2 billion in road, transit, and trail projects, including connecting regional trails, making safety improvements, widening major corridors, and bridge upgrades.

"In Douglas County, we are looking to add capacity to our roads because, right now, everyone in Douglas County wants to own a car, and they want to get from point A to point B," Van Winkle said. "We have a couple bridges in Douglas County that need (to be) upgraded desperately. I think of Happy Canyon. I think of Castle Pines. Lincoln and I-25 is a tremendous intersection that has a tremendous amount of volume. We need Lincoln and I-25 improved dramatically over the next 25 years."

The plan suggests bus rapid transit corridors, as well as CDOT's Front Range passenger rail project, may integrate Douglas County into a broader regional transit network.

The plan earmarks $20 million for a new transit mobility corridor connecting Castle Pines to the RidgeGate RTD station. While the RTD light rail plays a large role in transit options in parts of the county like Lone Tree, neighbors in Castle Rock have opposed the idea of bringing light rail to them in the past. Van Winkle says right now all ideas are on the table, and that's why the county wants to hear from neighbors on what they want.

The plan invests in mobility programs, including $30 million to expand the Link On Demand program, a free rideshare service that has been successful in Lone Tree and now Highlands Ranch.

"We're looking for that for the Parker, Castle Pines, and Castle Rock region. And really, what we're doing is we're trying to hear from the citizens. So if the citizens of Castle Rock say, 'heck no, we don't want that,' then we're not going to force it upon them," Van Winkle said.

Also listed is about $97 million of improvements in the Sterling Ranch area, including $16 million for transportation improvements for Zebulon Park, a controversial incoming sports complex.

"I think if we have almost $100 million to build roads in Sterling Ranch for an ice rink, then we have money to make I-25 safer," Castle Pines resident Barrett Rothe said.

Rothe is running for the city council in Castle Pines. One of his priorities is safer roads and improvements on I-25.

"I think we really need to look at highway design to reduce speeding, make it a friendlier, more thoughtful place to drive, and we need to scale up enforcement," Rothe said. "If we did something as simple as put signal lights on the curve warning signs, that would reduce accidents on I-25 substantially."

He's disappointed the draft plan allocates so much funding to Sterling Ranch.

"That's an insane amount of money to put into something before we solve all the other problems that persist throughout the county that are waiting for solutions," Rothe said.

"That's a fast-growing part of the county, 8,000 people today. It's going to be over 30,000 people in several years, and we need to prepare for that, just as Douglas County and the people that came before me prepared for Highlands Ranch growing," said Van Winkle.

Right now, about 30% of the county's population is aged 50 to 74, representing a growing older adult population in the coming years. The county is tailoring its plan to meet the needs of that group.

"We constantly are thinking about those who struggle with mobility, those who struggle to maintain or keep their own vehicle," Van Winkle said.

Where will the money for all these projects come from? One key source, the road sales and use tax fund, expires in 2030.

"We'll have to have that discussion with voters going forward, saying, 'when that tax expires or when it sunsets, do we want to re-up it, or do we want to do something different with those tax dollars?'" said Van Winkle.

The county hopes state and developer partners will help pay for many of these improvements.

They're asking for the public's input on this draft, which they'll consider before finalizing the plan in December.

"I will submit a comment, and my comment, I think, will be what many people will comment, once they learn about this, which is $100 million for the roads around the Zebulon Sports Complex. It's not fiscally conservative. It's not taxpayer stewardship. It's just dumb," Rothe said.

You can weigh in on the plan by sharing a public comment before Nov. 15 here.