Jefferson Parkway

In May 2008, Jefferson County and the cities of Arvada and Broomfield established the Jefferson Parkway Public Highway Authority (JPPHA). The authority was formed to complete the last unbuilt portion of the Denver metropolitan beltway through a public-private partnership to finance, design, build, operate and maintain the Parkway. For more information, visit the Jefferson Parkway Public Highway Authority website.

Jefferson County is committed to providing an effective and well-maintained transportation system. The northwest quadrant is the area within Jefferson County desperately needing major transportation improvements. Traffic here is forced onto neighborhood streets because there is a missing link to the beltway, which encircles the rest of the Denver metro area. These streets are not designed to handle the traffic volume, increasing noise, pollution and safety risks.

County Manager's Office Role and Responsibility

• Regular staff meetings
• Provide direction to the engineering team
• Provide information and recommendations to JPPHA Board members

Facts

• Completing the 470 beltway has been an essential part of regional planning for more than 40 years.
• There are more than 12,000 acres of open space and land that cannot be developed in the vicinity of the proposed corridor.
• The Colorado Department of Transportation authorized the JPPHA to submit a final 1601 plan.
• The Jefferson Parkway was included in the Denver Regional Council of Governments’ Fiscally Constrained Metro Vision Regional Transportation Plan in 2010.
• The JPPHA will seek private investors to submit proposals for financing, construction and operation of the toll road.

Rocky Flats and the Jeffco Parkway

When Congress adopted the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge Act in 2001, a 300-foot strip was allocated on the eastern edge of the refuge for future construction of the metropolitan beltway.

An article published in the city of Arvada’s June/July “Arvada Report” details how neighboring cities and counties in the Rocky Flats Coalition of Local Governments and the Rocky Flats Stewardship Council have worked to ensure the ongoing health and safety of residents living near Rocky Flats and how mitigation efforts and testing included that 300-foot transportation corridor. Read the Rocky Flats and Jeffco Parkway article in the June/July 2012 Arvada Report.