Published on July 05, 2017
The Weld County Board of Commissioners have signed the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) US Highway 85 Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) Study, securing the county’s support of the study and acknowledging its participation in it. This PEL study was conducted to identify the safety and operational needs along US 85, and to develop a vision for US 85 between I-76 and the Town of Nunn, a 62-mile stretch. This study built upon a series of previous studies, which began with the US 85 Corridor Plan in 1992, the most recent being the US 85 Intersection Safety Analysis in 2012. “We are always looking to improve safety conditions on our roadways, especially on roadways like US 85 that are seeing more traffic as surrounding populations grow,” said Weld County Commissioner Barbara Kirkmeyer, Chair of the Highway 85 Coalition. “This a proactive approach to keeping US 85 safe and functional that has been in the works for years.” This study analyzed the previous completed studies, and determined which areas of the 1999 US 85 Access Control Plan need to be refreshed (with locations in need of improvement prioritized). The process included 13 municipalities, two counties, three regional planning organizations, the Union Pacific Railroad, landowners, and the general public. CDOT will continue the work to update the US 85 Access Control Plan as funding for intersection improvements becomes available, and has begun the process of redesigning the US 85/US 34 interchange. To learn more about US 85, go to www.weldgov.com. To learn more about the US 85 PEL, go to www.codot.gov.