Freedom Parkway ACP

The two-year process to develop the Freedom Parkway Access Control Plan (ACP) finished with its adoption by the participating jurisdictions on December 12, 2018.  Input from residents, business owners, staff, and elected officials was incorporated into the ACP, which was prepared through a cooperative effort of the following jurisdictions and agencies:

• City of Evans
• City of Greeley
• Town of Johnstown
• Town of Kersey
• Larimer County
• City of Loveland
• Town of Milliken
• Weld County
• Colorado Department of Transportation

Freedom Parkway (WCR 54) Access Control Plan(PDF, 5MB)

The corridor includes all or portions of SH-402, Larimer County Road (LCR) 18, Weld County Road (WCR) 54, and 37th Street. It is approximately 25 miles long, starting at LCR 7 near the Loveland – Johnstown boundary on the west to WCR 49 near Kersey on the east.

Purpose

Roads generally serve two purposes – 1) mobility for people and freight and 2) access to adjoining properties. The purpose of the Freedom Parkway Access Control Plan (ACP) is to maintain and enhance safety and mobility while also providing reasonable access to adjoining properties as growth and development occur over time. Safety is the main reason for managing access on the corridor.

Process

The Freedom Parkway Coalition was responsible for guiding the study and establishing final recommendations based on the technical analysis and public input. The Coalition was made up of both elected officials and technical staff. The elected officials comprised the policy group that approved the plan’s recommendations. Staff made up the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), who reviewed and analyzed data and input to make recommendations to the policy group.

Corridor Vision

The first major step in preparing the ACP was a visioning process to establish a target framework for the analysis and subsequent policies. The Freedom Parkway Coalition envisioned the corridor as a regional, multimodal, urbanized transportation link between Loveland and Kersey. Specifically, the Coalition established an ultimate cross-section for the corridor as a 4-lane, divided, limited access urban arterial.

The cross-section does not establish a design standard for the corridor. Rather, it serves as a framework for local governments to consider as future roadway improvements occur. The ACP recognizes that each jurisdiction may have an arterial street standard that differs to some degree from the corridor vision ultimate cross-section.

Goals of the Access Control Plan

• Improving safety along the corridor
• Coordinating development, improvements, access, design standards, and other issues among jurisdictions
• Promoting economic vitality along the corridor
• Protecting investments in infrastructure
• Maintaining the functional integrity of the corridor by reducing traffic conflicts and improving traffic flow
  
  

Access Control Strategies

The following access control techniques are applied to existing locations to refine and ultimately reduce the number of access points on Freedom Parkway as future development occurs:

• Elimination – Access points may be removed at unsafe locations, where there are more than two existing access points for a parcel, or where spacing requirements are not met.
• Relocation – Access points may be relocated to meet spacing requirements or align with other access points. This could include moving access from Freedom Parkway to an intersecting side street.
• Consolidation / Shared Access – Access points in close proximity may be consolidated into a single location and/or shared between adjoining developments. This often requires cooperation between neighboring property owners.
• Movement Conversion / Reconfiguration – Allowable vehicular movements at some existing access points may be reduced to meet safety and mobility objectives. One example might be a location with full access into and out of a driveway that is reduced to a right-in, right-out configuration.

Access Types

Access type refers to the land use on the adjoining property that the access serves. The colored arrow symbols are used on the access inventory maps presented later in this chapter. They are defined as follows:

• Agricultural/Field/Ditch Access –These support farm and ranch operations and are generally used seasonally during planting and harvesting seasons.
• Residential Access - These are typically driveways to residences and multifamily developments.
• Commercial Access - These access locations serve businesses, schools, government buildings, and utilities such as electric substations.
• Oil & Gas/Industrial Access - Oil and gas facilities, including wells, tanks, valve sites, etc., and industrial buildings are served by this access type.
• Multiple Use Access - Shared access occur where two properties or uses utilize the same access.
• Future Access - Existing parcels with no frontage on a side road and no existing access on Freedom Parkway are considered landlocked and will be allowed access in the future as appropriate and consistent with the ACP. This access type also includes locations that have been previously approved but not yet constructed.

Policies

Several policies were established by the Freedom Parkway Coalition to aid in the implementation of roadway improvements and access management as development occurs on the corridor in the future.  

• New Access         
• Access with Safety Concerns
• Change of Use
• Road Spacing
• Access Permanency
• Right-of-Way
• Speed Limits
• Weight Limits / Truck Routes
• Functional Classification
• Road Cut & Boring
• Level of Service
• Full Intersection Control / Traffic Signals & Roundabouts

June 2018 Public Meetings

The Freedom Parkway Coalition hosted two public meetings in June 2018 for the public to review and comment on the draft Access Control Plan. Several comments were provided and incorporated into the plan. Topics of interest to the public included roundabouts (for and against), new traffic signal locations, shoulder widths, speeding, and truck traffic. The Coalition is very appreciative of the thoughtful comments made by members of the public who have contributed their valuable time in helping develop the Access Control Plan.

Presentation(PDF, 2MB)

December 12th, 2018 BOCC Meeting Presentation(PDF, 6MB)