Even though Mesa County voters rejected a proposal by the City of Grand Junction and Mesa County Commissioners in the November 5, 2024 election to build a new interchange on I-70 at 29 Road by a margin of 56.44% to 43.36%, the City and County are insisting on proceeding with the project anyway. The proposal asked voters to approve the City and County taking on $80 million in debt to fund the project, with a monster-sized payback cost of $173,438,202, including interest. A clear majority of voters rejected the proposal.
Despite this, a resident of the 29 Road corridor recently received a letter asking them to sign a permission form to allow unspecified “project team members” to access their private property to “collect accurate design information” to facilitate development of the 29 Road Interchange.
The homeowner said the letter “clearly states that they are still in phase 2 planning [for the] interchange which the voters decided they did not want. I understand 29 Road needs many improvements up to G Rd. and Independence Academy widening, which will cause great inconvenience” to people living in the area of 29 and F Roads, “but we are still 100% against any interchange being built.”
The resident wants to make sure Mesa County voters know that even though County voters decisively rejected the 29 Road Interchange proposal in 2024, our local elected officials are proceeding with the project anyway.
The homeowner added, with dismay, “It’s alive and well, and our county does not care what we want.”
There’s no money for the Orchard Mesa pool and the museum has to go but there’s money for something that Business wants. Not too surprising.