Niwot to get over-under pass

After months of negotiations, the Niwot city council approved Option 34a for an over-underpass access to Niwot from the bikeway-pedestrian-stroller path currently under construction in the CO 119/Diagonal Highway median.

Option 34a includes an overpass from the mini-multi-modal path over the Longmont-bound lanes of the Diagonal Highway, using the same design as the 63rd Street overpass in Gunbarrel. "They wanted us to pay them another million dollars to design an underpass, so we figure by using the Gunbarrel plans for an overpass, we will be able to save a million bucks," said Niwot project coordinator Chet Slowmeier.

There are other advantages of an overpass compared to an underpass, according to Niwot officials. The overpass would provide another option for the City of Niwot to advertise its many events to anyone traveling on the Diagonal Highway.

"We could hang banners across the highway for every event," said Niwot councilwoman Debbie Doright. "Our telephone poles are getting a bit crowded with posters."

Crossing under the railroad tracks into Niwot is a dog of a different color. A railroad underpass will require relocation of the burgeoning prairie dog colony on Boulder County Open Space near Somerset Estates to an area near Whistle Blower Park.

"We've been barking up the wrong tree when it comes to the railroad tracks," said Charles Clubber. "I don't have a dog in this fight, but maybe we can kill two birds with one stone. Every dog has its day, and the prairie dogs love to dig, so we plan to bring them down to the park so they can burrow under the railroad tracks to create an underpass. Once they've figured out the path of least resistance under the tracks, we will know where to put the underpass, again saving hundreds of thousands of dollars in soil testing and design fees."

Animal rights activists are not on board yet with the prairie dog plan. "If they're working for the county, they deserve a living wage, and there's not enough vegetation there to support a family of four prairie dogs," said Ashton Stonewall. "This should not be a dog eat dog project, and we don't want the tail wagging the dog."

Officials have said they are determining whether prairie dogs would fall under the minimum wage ordinance applicable to unincorporated Boulder County. Stonewall said, "Prairie dogs are people, too."

All bets are off as to when the access might actually be built as federal funding for all transportation projects is tied up in court, and the jury is still out.