Jefferson County Commissioners, along with representatives from RTD, the Denver Transit Construction Group and the City of Golden, gathered today to open the new intersection of Jefferson County Parkway and Johnson Road.

The intersection forms a new entrance to the Jefferson County Government Campus and is the first step toward completing the Jefferson County Government Center Station at the end of the West Corridor Light Rail line, a 12.1-mile project that will operate between Denver Union Station in Downtown Denver and the Jefferson County Government Center in Golden.

Today, Jefferson County staff members drove hybrid fleet vehicles through the intersection, serving as the first drivers over the new extension of Jefferson County Parkway.

Jefferson County saw the need for a new intersection at Jefferson County Parkway and Johnson Road as RTD designed and planned for the West Corridor line. The end-of-the-line station will include a three-story parking structure at the county Courthouse and Administration Building at 100 Jefferson County Parkway. To meet RTD’s request that local agencies contribute to the West Corridor construction costs, Jefferson County and the City of Golden decided to split the cost of a new intersection and road extension.

In order to ease congestion during RTD’s construction of the station, the Jefferson County Highways and Transportation Division decided to design, manage and construct the new 0.38-mile stretch of Jefferson County Parkway before RTD’s contractors began station construction. A full-time Jefferson County engineer, with help from other staff, focused on the project for six months to complete land surveys, review plans, obtain permits and meet with utilities. As a result, the project is on time and on budget. Concrete Express, Inc., served as the contractor. Kumar and Associates, Inc., Keesen Water Management, Inc., and Frank Miltenberger with FLMA, Inc., were county consultants.

The project required coordination with:

• RTD to keep bus routes running regularly through the campus;
• The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and Facilities Management Division to ensure safety and 24-hour access to the government campus;
• The Denver Transit Construction Group to coordinate phased construction of the West Corridor Light Rail Line along Sixth Avenue near the C-470 interchange;
• The City of Golden to meet requirements and obtain permits.

The Golden Parks and Recreation Department also relocated about 30 trees that were along Johnson Road and Jefferson County Parkway to parks and fields throughout the city.

Features of the new intersection include two water-quality detention ponds; improved campus drainage; the use of recycled materials and soil stabilization techniques; new trees, shrubs, sidewalks and raised medians; and increased space for RTD buses. Through the rest of 2009, workers will install more street lighting and evaluate the need for a new traffic signal.

For more information or photos of this event, contact Jefferson County Citizen Involvement Coordinator Jennifer Kostka at 303-271-8521 or jkostka@jeffco.us.