UFR TPR December 4th, 2025 Meeting Minutes
CDOT Region 4 – West Greeley
Big Thompson Room
10601 W 10th Street, Greeley, CO 80634
Attendance
REP. SEN. BENNET James Thompson, REP. CON. GABE EVANS Adrienne Sandoval, WELD COUNTY Jason Maxey, Kevin Ross, Lynette Peppler, Evan Pinkham, Samantha Brown, Vanessa Weidenkeller, LARIMER COUNTY Kristin Stephens, Eric Tracy, MORGAN COUNTY Tim Malone, CDOT Cecil Gutierrez, Christa Curtiss, Dan Mattson, Gina Fox, Heather Paddock, Jim Eussen, James Usher, Josie Thomas, Katrina Kloberdanz, Rich Christy, Spencer York, MULLER ENGINEERING Cody Davis, NFRMPO Becky Karasko, Elizabeth Relford, CITY OF BRUSH Patrick Heisler, ESTES PARK David Greear, Travis Machalek, FORT LUPTON Chris Cross, FORT MORGAN Tom Acre, KERSEY Stacy Brown, PLATTEVILLE Adrienne Sandoval, Troy Renken, WELLINGTON Bob Gowing, Cody Bird, Lucas Flax.
Introductions and Determination of Quorum - Chair Ross
Chair Ross called the meeting to order at 1:00pm. Introductions were made around the room, and a quorum was determined to be present.
Entities present
Weld County, Larimer County, Morgan County, CDOT, City of Brush, Estes Park, Fort Lupton, Fort Morgan, Kersey, Platteville, and Wellington.
Approval of UFRTPR September 4, 2025, Meeting Minutes – Chair Ross
Motion: Approve September 4, 2025, Meeting Minutes. Motion was moved by: Chris Cross and seconded by: Commissioner Malone. Motion passed unanimously.
Approve Meeting Dates and Locations for the Upcoming Year – Chair Ross
Motion: Approve meeting dates and locations for 2026, Motion was moved by: Vice Chair Stephens and seconded by: Commissioner Malone. Motion passed unanimously with the edit of updating the address for the Fort Morgan meeting on September 3, 2026, to the East Point Building located at 830 East Platte Avenue, Fort Morgan, CO 80701.
Election of Chair and Vice-Chair for 2026- Chair Ross
Chair Ross nominated Commissioner Malone as the Chair for the Upper Front Range (UFR) for 2026, motion passed unanimously.
Chair Ross was nominated as Vice Chair for the UFR for 2026 by the group, and the motion passed unanimously.
Transportation Commissioner Announcements (Cecil Gutierrez, CDOT)
The Transportation Commission (TC) is fully involved in the 10-Year Plan. In November, they went through a workshop on all the projects for regions three and five, and they will be looking at projects for regions one, two, and four, and workshopping those in January. There will be a thirty-day period for public comment for the 10-Year Plan in February, and then it is anticipated that the TC will adopt that plan during their March meeting. They did receive significant comments on two of the larger highway projects, including I-25 where they will be finishing segments 4 and 3B, and all of the safety improvements on segments 2 and 3A. Also, the project on I-270 where the roadway will receive some much-needed updates. A large portion of funding for these projects may be coming from the Colorado Transportation Investment Office (CTIO), and their board will be looking at potential possibilities on how to fund these projects this month. In prior years we could only bond for 33% of the project cost, but now with the current administration, we are able to bond up to 49% of the project costs. Commissioner Gutierrez explains that this is one reason why these larger projects have come forward on this 10-Year Plan. Another reason is that the CTIO is now required by Senate Bill 184 to align projects with CDOT’s 10-Year Plan. The TC is looking to continue the emphasis on rural roads and is receiving strong support to increase the funding in that area.
Presentation and Adoption of the Carbon Monoxide Maintenance Area Conformity Determination (Becky Karasko, NFRMPO)
The North Front Range Metropolitan Planning Organization (NFRMPO) is required to do conformity on two separate geographies for two separate ozone standards. There is a 2008 Ozone Standard which is a smaller nonattainment area for the Northern Subarea, and the 2015 Ozone Standard which is larger and includes all of Weld County.
At the NFRPMO they have criteria which determines whether or not they have to do conformity analysis on new projects or new plans. Anytime they adopt a new RTP, they have to do a conformity determination, or if there is a significant project being completed in the non-attainment area. On Weld County Road 66 they are adding a four-mile stretch of a second lane to the road in each direction which triggered the NFRMPO to complete a conformity determination.
The NFRMPO is asking the group to approve the Carbon Monoxide Maintenance Area conformity determination. Following approval, it is anticipated that the Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO) council will adopt this positive conformity determination and in February it will be submitted to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)/Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for approval.
Chair Ross thanked Becky and her team for all of their hard work and for getting this determination completed.
Motion: Approval of the Carbon Monoxide Maintenance Area Conformity Determination. Motion was moved by: Troy Renken and seconded by: Chris Cross. Motion passed unanimously.
Presentation and Adoption of the UFRTPR 2050 Human Services and Transit Plan (Spencer York, CDOT)
Spencer York gave a brief overview of the 2050 Human Services and Transit Plan. This is a federally required plan that is intended to be an overview of different transit providers and services offered in the UFRTPR to showcase the highest needs in the region, and some of the successes of those providers and services.
Elizabeth Relford asked for further explanation on the Priority Project list on page 33.
Spencer explained that this list was pulled from the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) and what the Division of Transit and Rail (DTR) identified as top priorities within the RTP process. These projects do not have a dedicated funding source, and this list is more of a “wish list”. Christa Curtiss added that it is better to be more extensive on this list and that if we want federal funding for a project then it should be listed in this plan.
Elizabeth then asked how this plan is going to assist working with the MPO to fill the mobility gaps that currently exist. And that if we know that those gaps exist, why are we not putting them in both of the UFR and MPO plans so that when funding becomes available, they can be filled.
Spencer replied that it would be a good idea going forward to better coordinate projects that are identified through the MPO and the NFR.
Commissioner Stephens added that she was excited to see that transit services between Wellington and Fort Collins was on the priority list and that it would be great to talk further about coordinating projects with the MPO and the City of Fort Collins should be involved as well.
Chair Ross asked Evan to look at options for setting this meeting up in order to communicate this opportunity further.
Chair Ross referenced page 6 where in the third line is listed “the critical element of everyone’s daily life” in reference to transit, but in the studies, it was also sited that only 6% or 7% are very likely to use transit and only 17% are somewhat likely to use transit meaning over 70% of people are not likely to use transit at all. Therefore, the term “everyone” may not be appropriate and how can we wordsmith this?
The group further discussed this and agreed that this statement does not best meet the majority of the needs, but having some transit options is still very important.
A suggestion was also made to add additional information to the Priority Project List that has two projects listed that are very similar: Transit Service between Wellington and Fort Collins and Regional Fixed-Route Transit Service from Wellington to Fort Collins.
Spencer asked the group if they wanted to approve the plan with edits, or if the edits should be made prior to the approval.
Chair Ross responded that he would prefer to make the necessary changes and then approve the document at the next meeting on March 5, 2026, and the group agreed.
Follow-Up Discussion of the UFRTPR 2050 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) (Spencer York, CDOT)
At the last UFRTPR meeting on September 4, 2025, the UFRTPR adopted the 2050 RTP but requested some edits to be made to the final draft. One of the changes requested to be made was to remove or replace the word equity throughout the document. Another was to put emphasis on the priority of road improvements over transit needs, and to remove the Identified Transit Needs map on page 8. On page 9 the comment was also made to swap the Aging Population and Vehicle Travel & Congestion so that Vehicle Travel & Congestion is listed first, as it is a higher issue at the moment.
Elizabeth also made a request for the 45% increase in Vehicles Miles Traveled (VMT) fact listed on page 9 to be checked for accuracy as it could have changed.
Josie asked for a description to be included on the map on page 11 as to what low, moderate, and high is when showing the percentage of highways in the region with various levels of drivability life.
Chair Ross requested to include a page in this plan comparing the UFRTPR’s low drivability miles compared to the State’s low drivability miles.
The group also discussed changing figure 8 on page 11 which illustrates eleven Vulnerable Road Users (VRU) Crashes Recorded Resulting in Serious Injury or Death (2023), to an illustration that would better display a more informative statistic. Spencer provided the group with a CDOT webpage that can give all of the most current crash data including type, location, etc. You can find this information here: https://www.codot.gov/safety/traffic-safety/data-analysis/crash-data. The group suggested putting this link in the RTP instead of the current illustration to provide the most current crash data.
Josie also requested for the projects listed on the map on page 27 to be listed by county or possibly color coded to identify which top projects belong to which county.
All revisions should be sent to Evan to be compiled and sent to Spencer for the final draft of the 2050 RTP.
Community Roundtable
Weld County (Commissioner Lynette Peppler)
Commissioner Peppler is appreciative of all of the good conversation and the insight from everyone with previous history on these topics and for all the good thoughts.
Wellington (Cody Bird)
Cody appreciates the support from all the Commissioners. Wellington has kicked off their Transportation Mobility Plan. They are in the initial stages of collecting public comments and they are excited to see what feedback they receive before they get into analysis. They will report back to the group what they learn from their studies.
Kersey (Stacey Brown)
Stacey agrees with Commissioner Ross’s comments specifically on omitting certain words due to grant applications, etc. in reference to the 2050 RTP.
Fort Morgan (Tom Acre)
Fort Morgan is in the process of awarding the contract for the Ensign and Main Street Storm Sewer Improvement Project that includes going under I-76 in Fort Morgan. They are also starting their update for their Comprehensive Plan.
Larimer County (Commissioner Kristin Stephens)
On Owl Canyon Road (LCR 70) from LCR 11 to LCR 13 Larimer County is working on designing their Right-of-Way (ROW) acquisition and they are anticipating construction next summer. Also on Owl Canyon Road from LCR 9 to LCR 11 they are working on design and are looking to start construction in early 2027. On the LCR 15 Roundabout the project timeline was moved up because of the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ) funding that was received and they are hoping to begin construction in the summer of 2027. They also have several Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) funded projects including guardrails for LCR 56, 74E and 38E that will be constructed this winter, and 74E and LCR 69 will also be constructed in the fall of next year. The Bingham Hill Widening Project is anticipated for fall of 2026. And on the Bridge Improvement Program (BIP) they had a planning grant awarded to them for the Pingry Park Bridge Study but have not executed an agreement, so the grant is still on hold at the Federal level.
Wellington (Bob Gowing)
They are hoping to start tearing up their main street beginning in February as a result of the Revitalizing Main Streets (RMS) and the Multimodal Transportation and Mitigation Options Fund (MMOF) funding they received a few years ago. Their real estate acquisitions are close to being finished and they hope to go to add in January for that project.
Representative Congressman Gabe Evans (Adrienne Sandoval)
Weld County Commissioner James is working with the legislative team on letters of support to advocate for funding in the Upper Front Range.
Fort Lupton (Chris Cross)
Chris had a concern about Fort Lupton being categorized as an MPO in the Housing Needs Assessment and if this were used for anything outside of transportation that they would not have a voice to deal with MPO’s.
Elizabeth explained that because Fort Lupton has more than $5,000 in population, even if they are not in an MPO they are still required to do a Housing Needs Assessment or a Housing Action Plan.
Representative Senator Michael Bennet (James Thompson)
Funding is still trickling out from the federal level, and they are going to find out more about a congressionally directed spending project with any upcoming funding bill that could pass. Next year they are anticipating opening that process again which is earmarked for transportation so stay tuned.
Platteville (Troy Renken)
Speaking of the Housing Needs Assessment, Platteville submitted their application yesterday. There is a housing development being built on twenty-seven acres near HWY 66 and WCR 19, catty corner from Miller Farms that required the need for a signal light. This will be a benefit as they have been having a lot of accidents in that area. The Mayor and the Town Board would like Troy to pursue a Mainstreet Achieving Membership to give some assistance with funding for street improvements. Their contracting engineer is working with CDOT on the permitting design for Main Street to get it ready for twenty-seven projects. No big construction projects in 2026. Troy is also trying to get a signal at WCR 34 and WCR 85 but cannot get a developer to bite on that one.
NFRMPO (Elizabeth Relford)
Elizabeth appreciates the approval of the resolution. They are presenting to the TC a Greenhouse Gas (GHG) report to go along with the update that requires the conformity. They want to lump it together into one presentation in January.
CDOT (Katrina Kloberdanz)
Katrina wanted to give an update to Fort Lupton that the Headquarters Traffic Unit will be conducting a traffic study and she is hopeful that they will get results by the end of the year.
CDOT (Heather Paddock)
From a statewide perspective, they are working through their 10-Year Plan and Region 4 will be presenting this in January. There is a lot of public comments on the project list but Heather feels confident with the projects they selected and have done a pretty thorough process of public outreach across the state during the selection process. A public meeting was held in the Town of Ault for the SH 14 project and that was very successful and educational for the public. On I-76 in Brush, the team is working on the final stages of some requests made by the railroad to get a variance that is needed. They are trying to negotiate a settlement and go to advertisement in June to complete the crossovers. On I-25 the cameras will go live in January so pay attention and do not cross double white lines.
CDOT (Gina Fox)
For the safety improvements on SH 1 through Wellington, they are going through ROW negotiations right now. There is a future design project at SH 1 and I-25 from the 10-Year Plan project list that will kick off on design soon as well as roadway and safety pedestrian improvements on SH 7 through Estes Park.
Morgan County (Commissioner Tim Malone)
The board passed a resolution to start the process for Morgan County to become a Home Rule County, which will be on the November Ballot.
Weld County (Commissioner Kevin Ross - Chair)
Chair Ross is thankful to CDOT for the meeting in Ault on the SH 14 project and thinks that it was very helpful to the community. Weld County will do their final reading of their budget on Monday, and they are spending well over $200,000,000.00 next year in the Public Works Department on road improvements and they are doing a fabulous job tackling those projects. On WCR 66 on the north side of the airport in Greeley they will be connecting US 85 to the County Parkway with the ultimate five lane build. On WCR 54 that runs from SH 257 to the County Line they will ultimately build out five lanes but for now they will be doing 2 lanes and improve the road with medians as well. On US 34 Commissioner Ross wants to thank CDOT for working with Evan and their team as they continue to push forward on CDOT’s Policy Directive 1601 for the interchange on WCR 17 and HWY 34 and getting Greeley to sign off so they can continue to hit those deadlines.
Weld County (Evan Pinkham)
Weld County just finalized their Safety Action Plan, and it has been adopted by the Weld County Board of County Commissioners. The plan is now available on the Weld County website (weld.gov) for review. Next, they will be putting a Data Dashboard on their website that is associated with the plan. Weld County’s Planning Department has kicked off their Comprehensive Plan Update and will be going through that in the next twelve months.
Kersey (Stacey Brown)
Stacey will be reaching out to Evan to set up a presentation on the Safe Streets For All Grant they received. They will be presenting to their town board in January and then will be presenting to the Weld County Commissioners as well so they can figure out how that will wrap into the overall Weld County plan.
Public or Additional Comments
Chair Ross wished everyone a happy holiday season!
Adjourn
Meeting adjourned at 3:05 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Samantha Brown
Secretary