11.  Fort Collins Truck Bypass Project: CSU Engineering Senior Design Project

A cursory feasibility study was completed by Colorado State University (CSU) Senior Engineering students on potential truck route alternatives in the County Road 70/Owl Canyon Road area. The group focused on this area as opposed to County Road 58 options because County Road 70 would affect fewer residences and also meets I-25 at an existing interchange. The students examined existing traffic counts on County Road 70 and US 287 north of LaPorte. From these counts they did a simple extrapolation to arrive at estimates of future (2020) traffic for both regular passenger vehicles as well as heavy trucks.

The students estimated likely roadway design and pavement thicknesses necessary to handle these anticipated volumes. The group recommended the construction of a two-lane roadway, comprised of two twelve-foot travel lanes with a ten-foot shoulder on each side, for a total paved width of 44 feet. They estimated an additional 24 feet of right-of-way would be necessary to construct the truck bypass. An additional 20 feet would be required on each side of the road as a clear zone. This results in a total required width of 84 feet.

The group noted several issues that would need consideration before construction of a County Road 70 bypass route, including interchange improvements on I-25, a grade-separated railroad crossing, numerous bridge and culvert crossings, and potentially significant environmental and social environmental impacts. They were in agreement that an Environmental Impact Statement process would likely be necessary for such an undertaking.

Two potential alignments were examined in the County Road 70 area. The first utilized a route over Horsethief Pass in order to save vehicles extra mileage. Topographical and gradient constraints made this option very costly with significant potential environmental impacts. The group opted instead to focus on a route further north, closer to the existing County Road 72. A schematic of the proposed alignment is shown in Figure 8. Final project cost estimates for this alignment ranged from $50.7 million dollars for a concrete alternative to $28 million for an asphalt roadway.

The students concluded that the recommended County Road 70 alignment is worthy of further study as it fulfilled the criteria set forth in Ballot Initiative 200, and would save truckers time and money by avoiding 15 traffic lights encountered along the existing SH 14/US 287 route. They cautioned labeling this route as the “best” alternative, since it was the only route examined. They urged the City of Fort Collins to do further study to select the most appropriate truck bypass route.