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Gun Club Road: CDOT jurisdiction, $25M devolution and phased safety fixes discussed
Summary
City staff and public‑works leaders outlined jurisdictional complexity on State Highway 30 (Gun Club Road), said CDOT offered $25 million for devolution (insufficient for full widening), and described a focus on phased operational and safety improvements while exploring funding options.
City transportation and planning staff updated the PED committee on Dec. 11 about Gun Club Road (State Highway 30), a multi‑jurisdiction corridor stretching roughly from Aurora Parkway to Quincy Avenue and beyond that has long posed a safety and capacity challenge.
Jacob (planning staff) and Kathy (transportation manager) told the committee that CDOT currently owns and maintains Gun Club Road from the airport north to Quincy and that sections north of Mississippi are maintained by Arapahoe County. The corridor includes a patchwork of developer obligations under historical master plans and public improvement phasing (PIP) documents.
"This stretch is CDOT jurisdiction... we've got some jurisdictional challenges between CDOT, City of Aurora with developer responsibilities," Jacob said, describing how Murphy Creek and other master plans carry frontage obligations that will be implemented as development occurs.
Staff said CDOT has indicated $25 million intended for devolution (transferring the roadway to a local authority) but that the sum would not cover full widening: staff cited a 2017 conceptual design that estimated $175 million to widen the corridor to six lanes and about $145 million for a four‑lane cross section (2017 dollars).
Kathy outlined near‑term project work and partnerships: an Arapahoe County safety/capacity study (design due spring 2025), construction of an Alameda‑Mississippi signal in 2025, and a Gun Club multimodal design funded by a Dr. Cobb grant with local match; staff said they will hire a consultant to update the 2017 recommendations and cost estimates and pursue HSIP and regional TIP grants for phased work.
Committee members pressed CDOT’s commitment and funding priorities; staff said the state has larger priorities across interstate corridors and that Aurora and Arapahoe County have previously declined to accept devolution unless sufficient improvement funding is provided. City leaders discussed exploring phased operational and safety improvements and potential authority models (similar to SREA) to assemble a capital stack.
Councilmembers asked for more detail on operational safety fixes residents want to see and suggested staff return with refined phasing and funding scenarios, emphasizing the practical need for smaller safety improvements that can be implemented sooner than full widening.
