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Happy Friday, Longmont and happy birthday to Jack Black! You may be turning 57 years old but your art is timeless. From School of Rock to Kung Fu Panda, you’ve given renewed confidence and hope to overweight pandas, down-on-their luck rock and roll enthusiasts, and everyone in between. We can’t wait for Tropic Thunder 2.
Today — A heap of commuter news as construction on Longmont’s Hover Street bridge will soon take a big step forward, railroads will soon get quieter, and a big decision regarding your November ballot will be made today.
Let’s dive in.
TOP STORY
🌎 All left turns at CO-119 & Hover Street to close for bridge construction
Courtesy: Colorado Department of Transportation
Just like Derek Zoolander, soon none of us will be able to turn left.
In early September, all left turns at Highway 119 and Hover Street in Longmont will be closed to make way for construction of a new bridge for Boulder-bound traffic over Hover Street, the Colorado Department of Transportation announced yesterday. They will remain closed until the project is complete next year. Time to refill the headache medication in your glove compartment.
Oh, and the right turn from southbound Hover Street to 119 will also be closed.
Detour details:
All businesses will maintain access. The only access that will be closed until the project is complete is a right-in to PNC Bank, though other entries are available.
Once construction begins, it’ll stay that way for roughly a year.
Break it down:
Traffic coming through the Diagonal Highway between Boulder and Longmont is expected to spike by 25% by the year 2040, and officials are trying to take every measure possible to keep things moving. The grand plan is known as the CO-119 Safety, Mobility, and Bikeway Improvements Project. Key improvements include:
Building a bridge over Hover Street. This eliminates an entire traffic light sequence, allowing Boulder-bound traffic to move continuously.
Changing access at Airport Road & 119 to reduce crashes and improve traffic flow.
Adding a nine-mile bikeway in the median of the corridor with connections to communities along the way.
Reconfiguring the CO-52 intersection to improve safety and accommodate new bus stations and the bikeway.
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Headlines
3 Big Things
Courtesy: City of Longmont
Shakeup at the library: The director of the Longmont Public Library, Jon Solomon, recently announced he’s leaving Longmont to accept a position at the Denver Public Library. Julia Jacobs, one of the library’s senior leadership staff, will step in as acting director while the library begins the process of filling the job permanently. Solomon served in the position since November 2022, and now takes his talents to Denver to act as their Chief Public Services Officer.
Another question on raising taxes may hit the ballot: Today, the Front Range Passenger Rail District will vote on whether to place on the November ballot a new tax that will fund Phase 2 of the Colorado Connector — the ambitious project that hopes to one day connect passenger rail north from Denver to Wyoming and south to New Mexico. Phase 1 (rail from Fort Collins to Denver) is funded and ready to go, but Phase 2 (Denver to Pueblo) still needs cash. The FRPR Board of Directors will decide today whether to ask voters for help — if they do, it’ll come in the form of a 0.333% sales tax hike.
Week 1 of high school football: The first full week of high school football action begins today. Longmont’s marquee matchup features cross-town rivals Longmont High and ninth-ranked Silver Creek High facing off at Everly-Montgomery Field at 7 p.m. Skyline High will host Gateway High (Aurora) at 6 p.m. SHS played their first game last Friday, but fell to Conifer High, 43-0.
Check this out
City to begin turning new batch of railroad crossings into “Quiet Zones”
Photo by Shelley Pauls
The City of Longmont’s pursuit to quiet down local trains is set to take another step forward.
Construction will begin on Group 2 of the Railroad Quiet Zones Project on Monday. Group 1 was completed in July. Since last May, Longmont has been working to turn 17 railroad crossings in Longmont into “Quiet Zones.” These are areas trains can pass without using a horn, allowing them to dodge federal rules requiring them to do so at all public railroad crossings. Required safety improvements vary but include upgraded crossing gates, raised medians, enhanced pedestrian crossings, new fencing and roadway modifications.
Happening now:
Group 2 includes crossings at…
4th Avenue & Atwood Street: Construction begins here first on Monday. One lane in each direction will remain open, but a short-term full closure is expected in late September.
5th Avenue & Atwood Street: Remains open during construction elsewhere, but it’s among the crossings slated to close permanently.
6th Avenue & Atwood Street: Work will begin following Labor Day.
21st Avenue & Terry Street: Last crossing to start construction.
Keep in mind, trains will remain active during construction and, even after the improvements are complete, crossings still need an official designation from the Federal Railroad Administration. Ah, the beauty of bureaucracy.
Click here for detours and more information on the project.
Events
Happening this weekend
Unity in the Community: This free street festival is one of Longmont’s biggest parties of the year. Visitors can check out more than 100 local businesses and nonprofits filling the streets with creative booths, live music and activities like roller skating, a dunk tank, photo booth, arcade and more. It takes place tonight from 4-8 p.m.
Land Yacht Party: Yacht parties in Longmont are rare, but not impossible. Abbott & Wallace Distilling is hosting a land yacht party where they’re inviting everyone to pull up to the distillery with their dinghies, canoes, kayaks, paddleboards, inflatable swans and anything worthy of possibly, maybe, potentially, floating on water. Crews will be offered bottle service and a special lineup of cocktails, while all visitors can take part in yard games, Asian eats from Sam & Sam, and something called “live yacht rock.” It takes place from 4-9 p.m. tomorrow. Learn more here.
Downtown Longmont Costume Crawl: August’s edition of Dress Up Downtown — the costume crawl that’s been taking place the final Saturday of each month in town — prompts locals to dress up as their favorite fictional character. Whether you’d like to pay homage to Jack Sparrow, Luke Skywalker, or Cinderella, participants can take part in challenges, games, and food & drink specials at participating restaurants. The Canvas Local Art Bar and Flavor of India are among those offering deals for the event. It begins tomorrow at 5 p.m. Learn more here.
Last Call
Today’s forecast shows a sunny Friday for Longmont with a high of 95 degrees and chance of showers and thunderstorms after 12, per the National Weather Service. The rest of the weekend appears to be more of the same — hot, sunny, small chance of rain.
Gas prices in the Longmont-Boulder area are ticking down. The current average for a gallon of gas is $4.38, a ten cent drop from Monday, according to AAA.
Silver Creek High School’s theatre program is staging a free performance of Mamma Mia tomorrow night at 6 p.m. with just 48 hours of preparation, as part of a trending challenge.
The Denver Broncos final preseason game is tonight at 7 p.m. against the Minnesota Vikings.
Legendary director Ridley Scott returns to movie theaters today with the release of post-apocalyptic flick The Dog Stars. Check Regal Village at the Peaks showtimes here.
Until next time,
The Longmont Brief
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