Laserfiche WebLink
rMF GCO( rUPMM <br />rcN MC eitipl C IYamd 1, <br />USvl h of CePo.wb tr to prne� <br />ql art `.fro$) <br />[der ikon 6y.Cde aP,Higli' a <br />called Shep. The pooch <br />tombstone was donated <br />remains to this day. <br />M lull iiN Mf6Ydl� <br />Commuting Solutions <br />C <br />HeRp (um VEn Moto 36 <br />Boulder Turnpike History <br />The Denver metro area's highway system had a big <br />problem up through the 1940s: There was no direct <br />route between Denver and Boulder. The only way to <br />get from Denver to Boulder was via U.S. 287 north to <br />Lafayette and then either South Boulder Rd. or <br />Arapahoe Ave. (SH 7) west to Boulder. <br />The original proponent of the Boulder Turnpike was <br />Prof. Roderick L. Downing of the University of Colorado <br />at Boulder's School of Engineering. In fact, he would <br />often take his students out to the route he proposed to <br />practice surveying. <br />Eventually, most Boulder civic organizations, the <br />University and prominent citizens signed on to the <br />project, expressing their interest in direct regional <br />connection. The Legislature finally passed a bill <br />authorizing the Colorado Department of Highways (CDH) to build a road and mandated that it <br />operate as a toll road to recoup the cost of construction. The state hired Kansas -based <br />consulting firm Howard, Needles, Tammen, and Bergendoff (HNTB) to conduct a feasibility <br />study. Unfortunately, the results said that the road would not pay for its cost and upkeep over a <br />30 -year period. <br />Despite the report, support reached a fever pitch. Bonds totaling $6.3M were sold, to be repaid <br />over 30 years. The roadway officially opened on January 19, 1952. The Boulder Turnpike went <br />from Federal Blvd. north of Denver to 28th St. in Boulder. It was built to freeway standards with <br />fully controlled access. Each direction boasted two 12 -foot wide lanes, a 10 -foot shoulder, plus <br />a 20 -foot depressed median. There were 12 major structures, including toll booths, built on the <br />spot. This was the first project awarded by CDH of this magnitude. <br />The tollbooths were located under the Wadsworth overpass at the <br />Broomfield interchange. It cost 25¢ to travel from Federal Blvd. all the <br />way to Boulder, 10¢ from Federal Blvd. to Broomfield and 15¢ from <br />Broomfield to Boulder. Other than access points in Denver and <br />Boulder, the Broomfield interchange was the only way to get on and <br />off the Turnpike. Toll both operators befriended a stray dog they <br />lived at the tollbooth near the Broomfield exit for years. After he died, a <br />for his grave in a fenced area near his old tollbooth. The tombstone <br />13 <br />