A repaved section of Harmony Road features bright green bike crossings and new lane markings. Image from city of Fort Collins.
By Luke Purvis
The Ramspondents
If you live in Fort Collins, you’ve definitely driven down Harmony Road. It’s a busy, long street with just about everything. Drivers coming off I-25 often have their first real look at Fort Collins driving down Harmony Road.
It has also been one of the city’s biggest transportation challenges.
The Harmony Corridor project is designed to address these issues. The official plan is called the Harmony Road Enhanced Travel Corridor (ETC) Master Plan, which aims to improve the section from Shields Street to I-25 for everyone.
The City of Fort Collins adopted the plan in 2013 after studying the area for 18 months. The study was on how to manage the thousands of people who use Harmony every day.
Aaron Iverson, the city of Fort Collins senior transportation planner, has been impressed with the work his team has been doing. “Consulting with the community is important to keep everybody updated,” he said.
The name “Harmony” comes from an old farming community that was near Timberline Road in the late 1800s. You can still see some of that history today. The old Harmony School and store are still standing, and the small cemetery nearby dates back to the 1870s.
In the glory days, Harmony Road was just a rural road in the middle of nowhere. Things changed in the 1960s when I-25 was built, connecting Colorado from north to south. Harmony then became State Highway 68, and traffic began to increase. In 2005, CDOT gave the road back to the city, allowing Fort Collins to plan its own future for the corridor.
As many people see it today, Harmony has become one of the busiest roads in town. It links neighborhoods, major employers and shopping areas together.
When the city first studied Harmony, they found that the intersections at Timberline and Lemay had the most crashes in Fort Collins. On top of that, traffic was expected to grow a lot by 2035 as more people moved and worked in the southern part of the city.
The city spent months gathering input. The ETC plan is to make the corridor more accessible. They held meetings at local events. More than 350 people responded, sharing frustrations like too much traffic and bad crossing intersections.
The LPA called for widening Harmony between College Avenue and Boardwalk Drive to six lanes and making major upgrades at intersections like Boardwalk, Timberline, Ziegler, and Lady Moon Drives. These changes were designed to keep traffic moving and reduce backups.
A big part of the plan focused on public transit, with a new 4.5-mile “Enhanced Bus” route running between the Harmony Transfer Center near I-25 and the South Transit Center off College Avenue.
The plan included completing missing sidewalks and improving crosswalks. This way, people could cross Harmony safely. These changes would make it easier to reach trails, schools, and transit stops.
The short-term phase focused on rebuilding intersections and setting up the new transit stops. Long-range plans are expanding the road's entire cross-section.
While not every part is finished yet, the ETC plans a clear framework for future projects when funding becomes available.
Luke Purvis is a CSU Journalism and Media Communication student. He hopes to gain as much knowledge as possible so that he can come prepared when he graduates.
What’s Happening in Fort Collins This Week - November 17-23
Compiled by Scott Reif
Graphic by The Comedy Fort
Weekly Event Highlight | Ben Roy at The Comedy Fort
Saturday, Nov. 22
Ben Roy at The Comedy Fort
6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
167 N. College Ave. Fort Collins
$22 ticket fee.
Comedian Ben Roy comes to The Comedy Fort on Friday and Saturday for four separate shows, bringing his long-standing comedy experience to the audiences of Fort Collins. Former winner of Laughspin’s Top 10 Comedy Albums of the Year in 2012 and former star of TruTV’s Those Who Can’t, the now Denver resident has amassed a long career, and his show is sure to be a hoot and a holler.
Photo by Maxline Brewing
Monday, Nov. 17
Beer & Bingo
6-8 p.m. at Maxline Brewing
2724 McClelland Drive Unit 190 Fort Collins
Free admission.
Join Maxline Brewing every Monday for seven rounds of bingo and the chance to win merchandise, gift certificates, and free drinks.
Graphic by Front Range Chamber Players
Tuesday, Nov. 18
Front Range Chamber Players Series Concert #2 – Viola Extravagance
7-9 p.m. at Fort Collins High School
3400 Lambkin Way, Fort Collins
$35 ticket fee, free admission for students.
The Front Range Chamber Players come to Fort Collins High School for the second edition of their series concerts, focused around piano and viola music.
Graphic by Sapling Productions
Wednesday, Nov. 19
Bass N’ Bowl
8-11:59 p.m.. at Chipper’s College Center
830 N. College Ave. Fort Collins
EDM artists LönSoul, Monolyth and JSTZ come to the 830 North stage to bring electronic dance music to Wednesday-night bowlers.
Graphic by Slyce Pizza Co., The Speak Cheesy Lounge, & The Art Mart
Thursday, Nov. 20
A Big Cheesy Art Show
6-9 p.m. at the Speak Cheesy Lounge
120 S. Mason St. Fort Collins
Free admission.
Join The Art Mart & Slyce Pizza Co. at their Speak Cheesy Lounge for an art show in which visitors can buy local art pieces, enjoy Slyce’s pizza and indulge in speakeasy cocktails beneath Mason Street every third Thursday.
Graphic by The Sharon Prize Colorado, Fiona Rose Photography and Grace Gallagher Dance
Friday, Nov. 21
There Is No Planet B
7-9 p.m. at Colorado State University Center for the Arts
1400 Remington St. Fort Collins
$18 ticket fee.
Grace Gallagher Dance and The Sharon Prize Colorado fuse environmental activism and dance in an exhibition at Colorado State University’s University Center for the Arts.
Photo by Ginger & Baker
Sunday, Nov. 23
Fall Pie Masterclass
10-1 p.m. at Ginger & Baker
359 Linden St. Fort Collins
$95 ticket fee.
Ginger & Baker’s Teaching Kitchen invites prospective bakers to learn how to bake some of their locally renowned recipes in wake of the holiday season.
Fort Collins weather update, Nov. 10 to Nov. 16
By Cole Walters
The Ramspondents
There are currently no active weather warnings associated with the upcoming week. However, that is subject to change. For pressing updates on the weather in Fort Collins, stay updated through the National Weather Service in Boulder.
Temperatures this week are looking to be more consistent with average temperatures in November. Unlike previous weeks, precipitation is expected, with a small potential for our first snow of the season if temperatures can drop below freezing.
Monday 11/17
Warmer and sunny with a high in the high 60s and a low in the mid 30s. There is currently a limited chance of precipitation.
Tuesday 11/18
Mostly sunny with a high in the mid 50s and a low in the 30s. There is a 50% chance of precipitation throughout the day and night. If temperatures fall below freezing, there is a small chance for snow.
Wednesday 11/19
Cloudy and rainy with a high in the 50s and a low in the 30s. There is a 50% chance of precipitation during the day and an 88% chance in the evening into the night. If temperatures fall below freezing, there is a better chance for snow.
Thursday 11/20
Partly cloudy with a high in the mid 50s and a low in high 20s. There is a 25% chance for precipitation throughout the day.
Friday 11/21
Sunny with a high in the low 50s and a frigid low in the 20s. No precipitation is expected.
Saturday 11/22
Mostly sunny with a high in low 50s and a frigid low in the 20s. No precipitation is expected.
Sunday 11/16
Mostly sunny with a high in low 50s and a frigid low in the 20s. No precipitation is expected.
Temperature and weather predictions are sourced from NWS Boulder and Accuweather.
Cole Walters is a junior at Colorado State University majoring in Communication Studies and minoring in Science Communication. He has a diverse background in journalism and communication, including social media, written journalism and photojournalism.