Inside The 29 Road & I-70 Interchange Controversy.

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KJCT) - A local interest group formed to oppose the 29 Road and I-70 Interchange on the November Ballot.

The group, "No on 29 Road Debt", a non-partisan, community-run initiative, comprises Mesa County residents and City Council members, formed to educate the public about particular concerns with the proposal.

Dennis Simpson, City Council member, and organizer of the group says they're "trying to convince people that to look below the surface of this, and they'll quickly see that it's a 'no vote' is what's required."

The biggest concerns, Dennis and the group want to emphasize include financial, safety, and design concerns.

"A nationwide study indicates that we're going to have 2.4 deaths or serious injuries from that interchange," he says. "Data provided by CDOT (Colorado Department of Transportation) leads to a conclusion that there's going to be more traffic on Patterson and the other big problem, there's no money in the current proposal to do improvements to 29 Road south of Paterson."

The Mesa County Board of Commissioners, who approved the ballot measure for the interchange , believe the project will still be a benefit to the community.

"I think this is a project that's worth investing in, one that we have been working on for a long time," says Cody Davis, Mesa County Commissioner. "It'll improve people's drive times less, less traffic, less congestion, and they actually get they go further."

Davis speaks to the more benefits this interchange could introduce. "Building that infrastructure is important for businesses expanding," he says. "We'd love to see that one, that area grow, build a greater tax base, start more jobs."

The interchange wouild be the final part of a loop the County has designed to "ease traffic congestion and improve accessibility throughout the area."

According to the County, around $12 million will go towards modifying 29 Road north of Patterson, while $68 million will go toward the interchange.

However, members of "No on 29 Road Debt", think there are other projects more nessecary than the interchange.

"If we do have $80 million to spend, spending on Patterson will have the biggest bang for the buck, both to the east of 29 Road and to the west of 29 Road," says Simpson.

Davis does acknowledge some of the community concerns.

"The biggest pushback so far is people have asked, 'well, are you really not raising taxes?' Yes, we're really not raising taxes to pay for this, he says." "Before we start spending the big dollars on engineering design, construction drawings, all those, we want to make sure we get the blessing from our voters and then approval from CDOT."

If the ballot measure is passed, CDOT will approve of the project, which will then be presented to gain federal spending.

"What we are presenting to the voters is kind of the worst-case scenario at its worst, this is what we're going to we're gonna have to pay. But if we don't get any mitigating factors, you know, this is what you're gonna have to expect to pay. So that's, that's essentially what the voters have to swallow. Is it worth an $80 million investment?"