The Colorado Department of Transportation proposes to build The Jefferson Parkway connecting C-470 and I-70 on the south near Golden, to E-470 on the north, at Broomfield. The Jefferson Parkway is the “Last Link” in providing the Front Range with modern highway transportation around the Denver metro area.

• HISTORY:
  Completion of the 470 beltway has been an essential part of regional planning for over 40 years, endorsed by the affected communities of Arvada, since 1964, as well as Broomfield and Golden. Golden has acknowledged this needed highway since at least 1983. Golden’s 1992 Transportation Plan re-endorsed its1983 plan, including reservation of a 300 foot of right of way along CH 93.  Only after Golden received state money to relocate CH 93 and Washington Street, in preparation for the beltway, did Golden begin to oppose the project.
   
• NEED:
  Colorado’s State Demographer reports that Colorado will add a million new residents per decade for the next several decades and a high percentage of those will be on the Front Range. It is our responsibility to our future residents to provide them an adequate infrastructure. In the meantime, Arvada is wedged between all major highways and growth centers, including Weld and Larimer Counties to the north and Douglas County to the south. Arvada needs to relieve the regional traffic pressure on its arterial streets and the entire region needs relief on many of the major highways including I-70 and I-25.   The Beltway will relieve north-south traffic generated by this growth which has been increasing on local streets such as Wadsworth, Indiana and CH 93.
   
• COST:
  Toll road financing and projections are a private matter between a willing seller of bonds and willing, sophisticated investors. There is no taxpayer impact if the tolls do not meet projections. Northwest Parkway’s shortfall of revenue vs projections is not a valid indicator of financial performance as the absence of the completing link negatively impacts traffic on the completed segment.  The financial success of the Northwest Parkway must not be as big a problem as some people make it out to be.  The Northwest Parkway Public Highway Authority received an unsolicited offer from a private entity to acquire all their long term debt and assume operations of the Parkway through a lease arrangement.
   
• PROCESS:
  Public input has been extensive with over one dozen public meetings, numerous public design meetings, and several means to communicate with the study team. CDOT has considered more than 70 possible alignments for the north-south link. 

RESPONSIBILITY

It is the responsibility of elected officials to provide for the infrastructure needs of future generations.

INTEGRITY AND TRANSPARENCY

The EIS process has involved all parties, including representatives from the environmental community and the City of Golden, from its inception.  At the end of the process, all representatives on the Consensus Corridor Committee were asked directly in open session as to whether the process that has led to the final alternatives was open, above board and fair. Except for Golden, which chose to remain silent, the elected representatives of affected cities and counties serving on the committee, were unanimous in agreeing that the process was open, honest and fair.