29 Road: Planning ahead, together
By CODY DAVIS and CODY KENNEDY
When the 29 Road bond measure didn’t pass last fall, it sparked reflection — and that’s a good thing. Major community projects should invite tough questions and honest conversations.
The interchange at 29 Road has been discussed for decades because it fills a real gap in our transportation system. But before a project of this size ever moves to construction, it deserves clarity, planning, and a shared understanding of its value. That’s the phase we’re in now.
At the moment, there’s no funding to build the 29 Road interchange or its supporting connectors. However, there is funding set aside for design, engineering, and approvals — the groundwork that ensures we’re ready when future opportunities arise. We’ve secured $2 million in federal funding to advance design work, with another $1 million grant pending through the Rural and Tribal Assistance Program. To leverage these funds, the City of Grand Junction and Mesa County will each contribute $220,000, for a combined local match of $440,000.
By completing that work now, we’re preparing wisely — making sure that when the community revisits the project, we can move forward with clarity, efficiency, and readiness.
When this project first went to voters, it was still early in a long approval process. Since then, major progress has been made. The state and federal reviews that once created uncertainty are now nearly complete. These approvals involve detailed research, traffic modeling, and safety analysis to ensure the design reflects today’s standards and tomorrow’s needs. The Colorado Transportation Commission is expected to consider approval in spring 2026, followed by formal Federal Highway Administration approval that summer — putting the project in a shovel-ready position for future funding.
Mesa County is growing. According to the Colorado State Demographer’s Office, our population is projected to increase from 162,833 this year to nearly 200,000 by 2040, and more than 214,000 by 2050. Imagine adding 52,000 people to our community with no major transportation expansion.
Anyone who drives 28¼ Road and Patterson can already feel that growth. From school pick-up to evening rush hour, traffic along our main corridors — from G Road to Patterson and beyond — has become heavier and slower. What used to be a quick drive now takes a little more patience, and those small delays add up. We’ve always taken pride in avoiding the gridlock of Denver or other cities, and we’d like to keep it that way.
Forward-thinking projects like the 29 Road interchange aren’t about chasing growth — they’re about managing it wisely. One of local government’s core responsibilities is to anticipate challenges, invest in smart infrastructure, and make sure families spend less time sitting in traffic and more time together. The intersection at 28¼ and Patterson already struggles under current demand, and once the Grand Junction Recreation Center opens — adding thousands more daily trips — traffic will only worsen.
That’s why planning ahead matters. Roads take years to design and approve, and if we wait until traffic becomes unbearable, we’ll already be years behind the problem.
Major community investments rarely happen in one step. Good things take time, and that’s often what makes them great. The first versions of both the Grand Junction Recreation Center and the new Grand Junction High School didn’t pass right away — they took discussion, refinement, and a shared understanding to get right. Each round of feedback, every question, and every new data point made the final projects stronger.
This process is no different. Healthy debate and constructive criticism are signs of a community that cares. We welcome those conversations because transparency and collaboration lead to better outcomes.
There are no current plans to return the 29 Road project to the ballot. Right now, our focus is on finishing design, completing approvals, and ensuring that when future leaders and voters revisit this project, the groundwork is complete and the information is clear.
We’re building on years of thoughtful work — using taxpayer dollars wisely and planning ahead so that five, ten, or even thirty years from now, future generations have the infrastructure they need to thrive. When the time is right, we’ll be ready to advance the 29 Road interchange efficiently, affordably, and with the support and confidence of the community.
Our community has always done its best work when we plan together — and that spirit of collaboration will continue to guide us.
