Traffic: Peak to Peak, Old Town and Willoughby Corner
Infrastructure update
With school back in session I checked on the progress of the Willoughby Corner infrastructure. If you aren’t up to date on Willoughby Corner here’s a piece I wrote about it in April 2023. It’s the new affordable 400-unit housing development being built by Boulder County Housing Authority in partnership with Lafayette.
At the groundbreaking for this project, we were told it’s the largest net-zero affordable housing project in Colorado and possibly the county. For those not in the know (like me until recently!) net-zero means it creates as much energy as it consumes.
If you live in or near Old Town and/or your kids attend Peak to Peak you know about the traffic issues as parents drop off and pick up their kids, especially the morning dropoffs.
As a representative of Old Town on the East Lafayette Advisory Committee (ELAC) for the Willoughby Corner affordable housing project at Emma and 120th, I know traffic, already a pain in the neck, was one of the top concerns for the neighborhoods. Vicky Uhland also an ELAC rep for Old Town, and I plus a few other folks who live on Emma did our best to emphasize the impact more housing would have on the traffic problems. (Over and over and over!) We have been told that the design of Willoughby Corner’s infrastructure will improve the traffic congestion that we see there during the school year.
WHAT’S IN THE PLANS FOR TRAFFIC CONTROL
Here’s the list I provided in a previous post that shows what is in the plans to assist with the traffic woes. This morning I emailed Molly Chiang, who is running the project, and asked how the infrastructure was coming along. The plan had been to get it in motion as soon as school stopped for the summer. I have added the timeline she gave me for each piece in bold so you can see what to expect.
A traffic signal at Emma and 120th.
Spring 2024
Canterbury Drive exists right now and is how traffic leaves P2P. It will be extended all the way to 120th and will only be a right turn at that point. This gives the P2P traffic two exits out to 120th instead of going west on Emma.
A temporary Canterbury Road has been created from P2P to Emma. This fall work on the internal Canterbury Road leading to 120th will happen along with the new roundabouts. It won’t be open for public use until the new buildings are brought online in Summer 2024
There will be two roundabouts. The roundabout on Emma is designed to slow traffic and also to encourage drivers leaving P2P and Willoughby to turn right and go to the traffic light. Again trying to guide people away from turning left down Emma.
The roundabouts will be part of the work on the internal Canterbury Road construction.
120th will be widened and realigned in preparation for future road work. FYI there are big plans for Baseline and 120th in the not-so-distant future.
The work on 120th along with the traffic light will happen in Spring 2024
BCHA began working with RTD very early on in the process. RTD will have two routes coming to this development. The agreement gives RTD drivers access to the community building which will be built in this first phase, so they can rest, eat lunch and use the facilities.
Emma Street adjacent to the project will be widened, and sidewalks and bike lanes added.
UPDATE ON THE OPEN HOUSE
In July there was an open house to let folks know about applying to rent one of the units and all the associated information regarding eligibility. I was told there were around 300 attendees.