Two Arapahoe County cities contribute millions into Douglas County road project

Two Arapahoe County cities are pouring millions of dollars into assisting Douglas County’s estimated $34.3 million County Line Road reconstruction project.

The project, which is currently accepting bids from construction companies, plans for improvements along County Line Road from Broadway to University Boulevard. The road separates both Littleton and Centennial in Arapahoe County from Douglas County to the south.

In 2018, both cities agreed with Douglas County to work together to receive enough local and federal funding to reconstruct County Line Road. The agreement is to fully widen, add safety and operational improvements to the roughly 1.5 miles of road.

Centennial takes up the majority of the construction area. The city garnered $2.4 million in federal funds through the Denver Regional Council of Governments Transportation Improvement Program and Arapahoe County’s Transportation Forum. Centennial isn’t allowed to pay more than $5,243,272.80, according to its intergovernmental agreement with Douglas County.

The City of Littleton is contributing a maximum $2 million towards the project, according to Douglas County’s intergovernmental agreement with Littleton.

Without further discussion, Douglas County commissioners approved the intergovernmental agreements on Tuesday.

In conjunction with the Colorado Department of Transportation, the County Line Road construction project has received $12,582,000 in federal funding, according to the agreements.

Also, Douglas County received $180,000 from the Highway Safety Improvement Program to install a traffic signal at the South Clarkson Street and County Line Road intersection, according to Centennial's agreement with Douglas County.

The project is estimated to cost Douglas County, Littleton and Centennial $34,325,000, pending construction company bids.

Construction along County Line Road “is anticipated to commence following the completion of the final design documents and approval to advertise and award a construction contract is granted by the County and CDOT,” Douglas County’s intergovernmental agreement with Littleton and Centennial said.

The agreements add that bidding for the County Line Road project opened up in the second quarter of this year. The contractor must be chosen before the end of 2024 and construction to be completed no later than Sept. 30, 2026, according to Douglas County’s agreement.