NCLA Board Heads to Denver to Talk Transportation with Northern Colorado Legislators

Relationships are the cornerstone of success in the legislative arena. NCLA has honored this reality since its inception in 1992 and continued to build and foster its relationships with members of the legislative delegation from northern Colorado over dinner last week.

Members of the Board of Directors of the NCLA were joined by leaders of NCLA’s member organizations, Fort Collins, Loveland and Greeley Chambers of Commerce with Northern Colorado Economic Development and Upstate Colorado Economic Development, to host legislative leaders for dinner and conversation about issues of importance to the region.

NCLA was pleased to welcome House Minority Leader Brian DelGrosso (R-Loveland), Joint Budget Committee member and Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, Representative Dave Young (D-Greeley), Chair of the Senate Local Government Committee, Senator Vicki Marble (R-Windsor), Senator John Kefalas (D-Fort Collins), House Minority Whip Perry Buck (R-Windsor), Representative Joann Ginal (D-Fort Collins) and Representative Jeni Arndt (D-Fort Collins) to the event held at the Denver Art Museum restaurant, Palettes.

The NCLA took the opportunity to visit with the delegation about the importance of the north I-25 corridor. I-25 North serves as the major north-south spine for the multitude of significant east-west corridors that bind northern Colorado into a strong economic engine. David May, President of the Fort Collins Chamber and Barbara Koelzer, Past Chair of the NCLA argued that staying ahead of the congestion curve along this crucial corridor is imperative to maintaining northern Colorado’s economic strength.

A third lane from Highway 14 in Fort Collins to Highway 66 north of Longmont is one of the highest transportation funding priorities for the Fix North I-25 Business Alliance, an organization formed by the Northern Colorado Legislative Alliance (NCLA), the region’s business coalition, to focus specific attention to getting that corridor funded. Under traditional funding scenarios, the $1.2 Billion project will be completed in 75 years. Given this timeline, the NCLA supports the pursuit of any and all funding options to expedite funding of this critical corridor.

Steve Tool, Chair of the NCLA Board, conveyed to the legislative delegation that success for the I-25 North corridor will come by working in a unified voice with the legislative delegation, the business community, and all of our elected officials from the region.

In their remarks, legislators agreed that working together, much could be accomplished.