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Staff estimates $9 million to reconstruct Colorado Boulevard segment; councilors raise drainage and truck‑route concerns
Summary
City staff presented a scope and preliminary $9 million cost estimate to reconstruct Colorado Boulevard (south segment) and recommended submitting a project scope to the 2026–2031 CIP; council members pressed on drainage, truck routing, intersection alignment and right‑of‑way constraints.
City staff told Commerce City Council on Oct. 14 that reconstructing the next segment of Colorado Boulevard — the portion south of the completed northern project — would likely cost about $9,000,000, including design, construction management and an allowance for inflation. Staff advised council to consider submitting the project scope to the 2026–2031 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) review process.
The staff presentation described the scope as a reconstruction (not a widening) that would include roadway replacement, new sidewalks, street lighting, drainage improvements and bicycle/pedestrian connectivity. Staff said the work would not increase lane capacity or intersection level of service and noted that available right‑of‑way near residential properties could constrain design choices.
“We estimate about $9,000,000,” the presenter said. “Design alone is estimated at $1,000,000, and we would recommend advancing a scope for the CIP review committee.”
Council members asked several implementation questions. One councilor pressed whether drainage and backyard flooding in the area would be addressed; staff said drainage improvements are included in the $9 million estimate and that a separate 60th Avenue project (recently approved for contract) also addresses drainage in nearby neighborhoods. Another councilor noted that much of the west side of Colorado is zoned industrial and that the roadway must accommodate trucks; staff said truck routing and pavement structural design would be part of engineering standards and that the city previously directed staff to analyze truck‑route changes.
Members also discussed a misaligned intersection at 60th and Colorado and whether realignment or a traffic signal should be considered; staff cautioned that realignment would depend on right‑of‑way availability and property acquisition. Several councilors suggested starting with design to make the project competitive for grants and to have a shovel‑ready scope for future construction funding.
No funds were allocated at the meeting and no formal motion was recorded. Staff described the recommended next steps as drafting a project scope early next year, submitting it to the CIP review committee for scoring against other projects, and, if it ranks highly, advancing it through the city manager’s budget recommendations during the 2026 budget cycle.
