What do the fiscal problems of the public-private toll road, the Northwest Parkway linking I-25 and US-36, mean to Broomfield? We have been barraged by a series of local and statewide articles about the questionable planning and potential lease of the Northwest Parkway into private hands.
The Denver Post summed up crux of the problem on June 1 of this year: "The $416 million, 11-mile parkway from Broomfield to E-470 has attracted just half the cars forecast since it opened in 2003."
How did it come to this? Why didn't Bill Berens, former Mayor of Broomfield and Chairman of the Northwest Parkway Authority at the very beginning use his authority to enforce integrity in the process and practicality in the planning? In his own words at the Transportation Legislation Review Committee meeting as reported in the Louisville Times on August 30, Berens said toll roads are "labors of love by the communities that built them."
If so, then Berens seems blinded by his love of the project because he has ignored conflicts of interest, unrealistic projections and impacts on residents. He has failed to provide the leadership we needed and has betrayed our trust. In fact, he is hoping our inconvenience will bail out his failed venture, "Rep. Bill Berens, R-Broomfield, agreed, noting that as local roads become more burdened with traffic, parkway revenues will benefit." (Broomfield Enterprise, July 17, 2006).
Berens refuses to listen to criticism. His anger over challenges to the condition of the Parkway led the chair of the Transportation Legislation Review Committee (Stephanie Takis) to tell him to "take it outside" (Louisville Times, August 30).
How bad is the Parkway? Having missed all of its projections for its first 3 years, the Northwest Parkway's bonds were dropped to junk status by Wall Street in December of 2005. The Security and Exchange Commission even warned about conflicts of interest with private toll roads in hiring consultants to do estimates that will then reap huge financial benefits if the road is built. These dubious relationships were exactly what existed in planning the Northwest Parkway (Denver Post, June 1 - "Road to Riches").
A Broomfield resident, Larry Bailey, described the public's feelings in a letter to the Rocky Mountain News on September 12, "... selling the Northwest Parkway debt and management rights...means that the managers do not know what they were or are doing. They are getting some of the highest tolls per mile in the U.S. and still cannot make money. The various excuses for low revenues are just hot air. Try earning my business by offering value and maybe this road will lead somewhere."
If this is Bill Berens' version of "local control", then local control demands local accountability. Voters must replace him in the election on November 7.
Broomfield, Lafayette and Weld representatives of the Board of the Northwest Parkway are trying to make the best of a bad situation. What they must not forget is that even if the debt is not paid by taxes, the cost of the road is nevertheless born in large part by residents.
The Democratic slate of candidates will work with the local authorities to ensure that any long term lease of the Northwest Parkway will be structured with integrity. We need leaders that can represent our interests in transportation rather than a personal agenda.
About the Broomfield County Democrats. The Broomfield County Democrats are working for neighborhoods where everyone feels welcome, where people like you can afford the basics of life and people value good schools, smart growth and business development, and government that invests in your priorities and won't betray your trust. To get involved, call 720-771-4821 or go to www.broomfielddems.org.