U.S. 287-S.H. 1 to LaPorte Bypass
Environmental Assessment
February 2000

This is the second in a series of fact sheets designed to keep you up-to-date about the Environmental Assessment (EA) that the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is conducting for U.S. 287 between State Highway (S.H.) 1 and the LaPorte Bypass. The EA will investigate solutions to improving mobility and safety on the two lane segment of U.S. 287 from S.H. 1 to the LaPorte Bypass. J.F. Sato and Associates (JFSA) is the environmental consultant for the project.

Scoping (please refer to graphic below)

CDOT is currently in the Scoping phase of the project. Scoping is an early and open public process for determining the range of issues to be addressed in the study and for identifying the significant issues related to a proposed action. Formal Scoping will conclude March 31, 2000. Public involvement is on-going throughout the project to keep interested individuals, groups and agencies informed about the project and solicit input at key milestones in the process.

In order to solicit input and help in issue identification, CDOT has held meetings with federal, state and local agencies. Among the participants were representatives from the Lead Agencies, CDOT and the Federal Highway Administration, as well as the Corps of Engineers, Colorado Division of Wildlife, Larimer County, City of Fort Collins and the North Front Range MPO. In addition, to provide extensive public outreach, CDOT and JFSA have extended the offer to hold small group meetings with various special interest groups and individuals to provide a project overview, solicit input and identify issues or concerns. For example a meeting was recently held with the North College Avenue Business Association, composed of local business owners, where CDOT and JFSA presented the project, solicited input and answered questions. If you are interested in a small group meeting with the project team, please contact Amy Baerenklau from JFSA at (303)797-1200 or e-mail amy@jfsato.com.

Summary of the Public Workshop May 4, 2000

The purpose of the first Public Workshop was to provide an opportunity for the public to learn more about the environmental process and the project and to offer their comments, opinions, ideas and concerns about the study and possible alignments. The workshop was announced in several ways: newspaper ads and articles, notices posted in the area, and invitations sent out to those on the mailing list.

The Public Workshop was held at the Holiday Inn located at Mulberry near I-25. The Public Workshop was an informal setting that included six stations with subject matter displays manned by team members. Participants were invited to review the materials and discuss any aspect of the project with project team members. At the workshop, the six stations were: Sign-in and Orientation, Project Purpose and Need and the Environmental Assessment Process, Schedule and Public Involvement Program, Traffic and Safety, Alternatives Comparison, and Natural Resource Mapping. CDOT and project team members were present at each station to provide information and answer any questions that the attendees had. Twenty-nine people attended the workshop and over twenty comments were received. The comments are grouped by topic and summarized below.

Project Process - Comments and questions centered on the decision making process, including how different screening factors are weighed.

Schedule - Questions and comments focused on how soon the construction would begin and if the date would be effected by different funding scenarios.

Public Involvement - Many attendees expressed appreciation for CDOT's efforts in public outreach including interest in the website and further opportunities for involvement.

Traffic and Safety - Support was expressed for improving mobility and safety on U.S. 287. Several attendees had questions about how the functionality of the railroad crossing at the intersection of Shields with U.S. 287 could be affected and whether modifications to the crossing would be required as a result of potential improvements to U.S. 287.

Alternatives - Support was expressed for examining the meander alignment along the existing U.S. 287, a combination of the meander and the relocation of Terry Lake Dam and Alternative B in the environmental analysis.

Access and Acquisition - Comments and questions focused on how access would be provided from each of the different alternatives. This included interest in how access would be maintained if the existing alignment was improved and how it would be provided if a new alignment was chosen. Attendees also asked how CDOT's acquisition process worked. Concern was expressed over the potential acquisition of land on the north side of the existing U.S. 287.

Environmental Concerns - Participants were interested in the local natural resource mapping. Many attendees expressed general interest in the environmental research methods and findings. Several residents asked about potential noise and visual impacts that could result from the construction of the different alternatives.

Use of the Comments

Both agency and public comments have been compiled and will be reviewed by CDOT and the project team. The comments will be considered as the EA progresses.

Opportunities For Public Involvement

Please feel free to contact Bethani Ploegstra, Project Manager for CDOT, or Amy Baerenklau, Deputy Project Manager for JFSA, with any questions or comments you may have regarding this project, to request a small group meeting or to be added to the mailing list.

Bethani's mailing address is 1420 2nd St., Greeley, CO 80631 and her e-mail is: Bethani.Ploegstra@dot.state.co.us.
Amy's e-mail is amy@jfsato.com and the mailing address is 5898 S. Rapp St., Littleton, CO, 80120.

You can also visit the project website at: www.US287-North-of-Fort-Collins.com to review the previous Factsheets or e-mail your comments.

The next Public Workshop will be held in September 2000. CDOT will announce the date, location and time of the workshop via mailings, newspaper ads, local postings and on the project website.

Alternatives identified through scoping will be developed and screened to determine how well each meets the Purpose and Need of the project and to compare the potential environmental impacts. CDOT will develop evaluation criteria based on public and agency input, design criteria, and critical environmental receptors. (Please refer to the EA Process Graphic on p.2)

CDOT plans to complete the Alternative Analysis in late Spring of 2000 and will hold an Open House to discuss the results. The Open House will present the alternatives considered and those that have been advanced into the Environmental Analysis stage for a more in-depth investigation of potential impacts and mitigation measures.

Environmental Data
Currently, CDOT is gathering data on both the human and natural environment and is working with local, state and federal agencies. The types of data being collected include, but are not limited to: land use, wetlands, floodplains, Threatened and Endangered Species, socio-economics, historic sites and soils. This data will be used to determine the potential environmental impacts associated with the alternatives which will help guide the decision making process. Identifying potential environmental impacts early in the study will also aid with future development of mitigation plans.