Watch CBS News

Boulder Backs Down On Toll Road Fight

GOLDEN, Colo. (CBS4) - The city and county of Boulder are backing down from a 4-year fight to prevent a new toll road from being built in the neighboring county.

Jefferson County has been working on plans to build the Jefferson Parkway. It's an approximate 10-mile toll road that would run from just north of Highway 93 and 64th in a northeasterly diagonal to Highway 128 in between Golden and Boulder.

Some cities have been extremely concerned about the long-term effects of such a project. Those concerns include development that could follow, as well as streams of additional traffic exiting off the parkway onto already congested roads such as Highway 93.

 

Jefferson Parkway
(credit: CBS)

The city and county of Boulder are no longer opposed after Jefferson County agreed to contribute $5 million to buy a large chunk of open space, ensuring a wildlife corridor would be preserved.

But the city of Golden opposes the project unless Jefferson County agrees to help with multi-million dollar improvement projects on existing Highway 6 and Highway 93.

"The idea for a long time of a big, long, high-speed super highway plowing through the valley would really destroy Golden, so that's the reason Golden has been so engaged in this issue for decades," Golden Mayor Jacob Smith said.

Jefferson County hopes to start construction in September of 2012. The cost of the parkway is estimated at $212 million and would be paid for by a group of private companies.

 

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.