To assist the state in constructing and completing a roundabout at a busy intersection south of Keenesburg, the Weld County Board of Commissioners gave approval Monday for an application of more than $1.7 million through a Nonattainment Area Air Pollution Mitigation Enterprise grant. If awarded, the grant will help cover the remaining construction costs needed for the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) to construct the roundabout at the intersection of Weld County Road 59 and Colorado Highway 52.
The application is the latest step in completing a vision that Weld County, CDOT, Keenesburg, Hudson, Lochbuie and the Weld RE-3J school district has had for many years: to increase safety.
“The idea to make the intersection safer and more efficient started as far back as 2011 with an intersection safety study,” said Elizabeth Relford, Weld County Grants and Project Support Officer. “Now, 14 years later, we’re hopeful that this grant application will be one of the final steps in achieving that goal. It would be a big victory for all entities involved and the traveling public.”
CDOT’s initial intersection study, completed in 2011, recommended turn lanes at the intersection. However, those improvements weren’t enough to address the overall safety issues and led to the formation of the SH-52 Coalition in 2018. CDOT, in partnership with the coalition, created a Planning and Environmental Linkage (PEL) study in 2021, examining a 41.6 mile stretch of the corridor — from Colorado Highway 119 in Boulder County to Colorado Highway 79 in Prospect Valley. The PEL identified a roundabout as the best enhancement at the intersection. Additionally, in December of 2024, Weld County received a federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality grant of more than $1.38 million to go toward construction costs. The grant required a local match from the county of $287,126.
Long championed by the Federal Highway Administration for effectively reducing broadside accidents and fatalities, roundabouts also promote less idling time compared to a four-way stop or traffic signal, a positive for air quality as the intersection is in the state’s ozone nonattainment boundary.
While the project design has almost been completed, construction cost estimates appear to be higher than available funding. As the intersection is in CDOT’s jurisdiction and identified in its 10-year plan, the agency has pledged $7.6 million toward the project. Its near $1.8 million shortfall comes from reduced funding available from Senate Bill 21-260, passed in 2021.
Early indications are the bill, which is used to fund projects statewide through a variety of different fees, has failed to deliver.
Relford said Senate Bill 17-267, combined with federal stimulus money from the American Rescue Plan Act, funded Region 4 projects within CDOT’s 10-Year Plan for fiscal year 2019 through fiscal year 2022 at approximately $350 to $380 million for those four years, a major difference from the funding provided now through Senate Bill 21-260.
“CDOT made the assumption that it would receive, on average, $325 million over the next four-year period,” Relford explained. “In reality, CDOT is only receiving $200 million. Region 4, which includes Weld County, is one of the largest CDOT regions, having significant lane-mile totals. Yet Region 4 only receives a little more than 23% of the 10-year plan funding. Community partnerships on regional priorities, like this roundabout, are the only way to make up for the decrease.”
“Transportation funding for safety infrastructure improvements remains a high priority for our rural communities,” said Weld County Commissioner Kevin Ross, who serves as chair of the Upper Front Range Transportation Planning Region. “While reducing state revenues creates a hardship, we remain committed to finding a funding solution to construct this roundabout and deliver a needed regional safety enhancement.”
Dependent on grant approval, construction is anticipated to begin in October 2026.
