Council weighs truck-route changes and traffic safety after Public Works report on 90 Sixth Avenue and Colorado Boulevard

Public Works briefed the City Council on existing truck routes, tipping fees and the traffic implications of rerouting trucks from two corridors — East 90th Avenue and Colorado Boulevard — prompting extended council discussion about safety, enforcement, and mitigation measures.

Jenna Hahn, public works director, told the council that the city’s truck routes were adopted by ordinance in 1987 and that changing those routes would require another ordinance. “Our truck routes were adopted by an ordinance passed by city council in 1987,” Hahn said. She outlined engineering criteria used to set truck routes, including public safety, pavement structure, traffic flow, accessibility to industrial areas and highway connections.

Hahn said tipping fees (charges levied by waste processing facilities) are not set by local truck routing and therefore do not change automatically when routes change. She presented truck counts and modeling for East 90th Avenue and intersections affected by a potential reroute: - East 90th Avenue: approximately 1,170 heavy trucks per day; total vehicles around 14,000 per day. - Colorado Boulevard: staff estimate about 1,300 daily trucks (data level for Colorado was less detailed than for 90th).

Hahn told council that rerouting 90th Avenue truck volumes onto alternatives such as East 104th Avenue would create significant intersection impacts. She said model runs indicate left‑turning trucks would slow left‑turn movements at Highway 2 & 104th and at Tower Road & 104th, causing turn storage to spill into through lanes during peak hours and increasing delay and safety concerns. The model found only one intersection in the 90th corridor where widening would not raise the level of service to the target (southbound Chambers at 90th during the AM peak).

On Colorado Boulevard, Hahn said fewer modeling data are available and the most feasible alternative routing would route trucks to 70th/4th Avenue; however that change would require coordination with Adams County and CDOT and is not guaranteed to remove all trucks from Colorado (some businesses on Colorado require heavy vehicle access). Public Works estimated the cost of a third‑party study and data collection to evaluate rerouting to 70th/4th at about $25,000.

Council discussion focused on multiple themes: safety near schools, enforcement and company accountability, sound‑wall or berm mitigation, the role of state highways and CDOT maintenance, and long‑term planning. Several council members urged staff to pursue enforcement options and better education for trucking companies. Others emphasized limits on the city’s authority and the need to coordinate regionally.

Notable council and staff points: - School safety: Council members pressed for school‑zone speed reductions near Adams City High School and for flashing school signs; staff said they will set school‑zone speeds at 30 or 25 mph depending on enforceability and will install flashing signs for school hours. - Enforcement and company accountability: Council members and the city manager said reporting (including USDOT numbers and images) helps PD’s commercial motor vehicle unit take action and that carriers such as FedEx and UPS have telematics that can identify off‑route or unsafe driving. - Physical mitigation: staff noted sound walls and guardrails are potential mitigations; concrete walls are not safe as vehicle barriers and guardrails are designed to AASHTO standards and are included where appropriate in the 90th Avenue widening project. - Regional coordination: multiple council members and the city manager urged engagement with CDOT and Adams County to address regional highway conditions (for example I‑270, Highway 85 and Brighton Boulevard) that influence truck routing and neighborhood impacts. City manager Steve Rogers said the city has ongoing conversations with CDOT and indicated devolvement/timing issues for state roads.

Council direction and staff commitments: - Public Works will pursue a third‑party traffic modeling/data‑collection contract to evaluate rerouting trucks from Colorado Boulevard to 70th/4th; staff estimated the work at about $25,000 and will coordinate with Adams County and CDOT. - Staff reminded council that 90th Avenue is currently an adopted truck route and that any permanent change requires an amendment to the ordinance; staff urged the council to request more detailed intersection analysis for alternatives before directing a route removal. - PD and the city’s commercial motor vehicle resources will continue enforcement efforts; staff asked residents to report unsafe or off‑route trucks and include USDOT numbers or photos where possible so carriers can be contacted.

Why it matters: truck routing affects residential quality of life, school safety, pavement wear and intersection performance. Rerouting trucks can shift impacts rather than eliminate them; staff emphasized the need for technical analysis and interjurisdictional coordination before making ordinance changes.

Sources and attribution: this story is based on a presentation by Jenna Hahn, public works director, and council discussion with Mayor Pro Tem Noble, Council members Teeter, Chacon, Douglas, Dukes, Ford and others during the Commerce City City Council study session. Technical details and counts come from Public Works modeling and staff statements recorded in the meeting transcript.