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A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING AWARD OF FELSBURG HOLT & ULLEVIG, INC. A PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT FOR PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING AND PROPERTY ACQUISITION FOR THE E. 120TH AVENUE AND US 85 INTERCHANGE PROJECT
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East 120th Avenue intersects with US85 and with the Union Pacific railroad at-grade. The situation causes significant backups, particularly when the road is blocked by a train. A diverging diamond interchange has been proposed with US85 which would also eliminate the at-grade crossing of the railroad.
Grant funds have been obtained and CDOT has been purchasing right-of-way (ROW) in conjunction with Commerce City, Brighton, and Adams County. In 2022, Commerce City was awarded a Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) grant for $9.6M to progress design and acquire additional ROW. The CRISI grant was obligated in September 2024. A Request for Proposals was posted in February 2025 to complete preliminary engineering, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and ROW acquisition.
The US 85 Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) Study (CDOT 2017), conducted for approximately 62 miles of US 85 between I-76 in Adams County and Weld County Road (WCR) 100 in the Town of Nunn, Colorado, developed a strategic vision for US 85 that addressed safety, mobility, and access concerns. The US 85 PEL evaluated a range of alternatives for the intersections and crossings along this 62-mile stretch of roadway. The PEL alternatives have been further examined for the Environmental Assessment (EA).
The segment of US 85 between I-76 and E. 124th Avenue is designated as an Expressway (E-X) under the State of Colorado State Highway Access Code (State of Colorado, 2002). In December 1999, through an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA), 15 governmental agencies along US 85 approved the US 85 Access Control Plan I-76 to WCR 80 (ACP) (CDOT, 1999). The ACP identifies the permitted changes in access, including closures, turn movement restrictions, signalization, intersection reconfigurations, and proposed interchanges to support the Expressway (E-X) classification. The US 85 ACP identified closure of US 85/124th Avenue intersection and grade separation of the US 85/120TH Avenue intersection. The PEL recommended the access code classification of US 85 as a Freeway, which requires all access to be grade separated with US 85. The Adams County Transportation Plan (Adams County, 2012) classifies E. 120th Avenue as a major arterial.
The City has received grant funding from the FRA for property acquisition for the E. 120th Ave. & US 85 interchange. The City has also entered into Intergovernmental Agreements with the City of Brighton and Adams County to design and construct the grade separated interchange at E. 120th Ave. and US 85 in accordance with the CDOT’s 2017 PEL Study.
This contract with FHU is for the preliminary engineer and property acquisition for the E 120th Ave and US 85 interchange project. This resolution awards the contract to FHU for preliminary engineering and property acquisition. Future phases of the project will be funded and contracted later. Commerce City applied for a Railroad Crossing Elimination grant to cover the additional costs associated with design and construction, but the grant was not awarded. Additional grant opportunities will be monitored.