Complex public infrastructure projects that take years for planning and permitting require durable political support that can stand the test of time.
That’s one insight from the recent decision by the City and County of Broomfield, Colo., to withdraw its support for the Jefferson Parkway, a 10-mile, $250 million highway project that’s part of an effort to complete a toll-road beltway around Metro Denver. The parkway would connect Broomfield to other fast-growing communities north and west of Denver while filling an important gap between completed beltway sections.
Why is Broomfield taking the Jefferson Parkway exit? The proposed route passes through the controversial former Rocky Flats nuclear weapons plant nearby, shuttered in 1992 and cleaned up over 14 years at a cost of $7 billion. Opponents fear construction will disturb plutonium residue in the soil, after a sample taken last summer exceeded the plutonium standard set as part of the clean-up.
While it may not doom the project, Election Day 2019 marked the beginning of the end for Broomfield’s support. On that date, a slate of self-described progressive candidates was elected to city council. Although prior Broomfield councils supported the city’s participation in the Jefferson Parkway, the new slate, which also opposes oil and gas development within city limits, was part of a unanimous council decision to withdraw last month.
When it was time to cast a vote, Broomfield council members found parents concerned with present-day radiation-related health risks for their children – no matter how unlikely – more persuasive than Parkway proponents touting future societal benefits including mobility, reduction in traffic congestion and economic development.
Political support is fragile and vulnerable to attack, sometimes without regard to facts or science. Infrastructure developers, stakeholder relations specialists and public affairs teams need to have the foresight to see political change coming, sometimes years in the future, and the courage to connect with potential opponents to understand concerns, to engage the community on the merits and to see where common ground may be found.
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