Douglas County seeks federal funds for Highlands Ranch interchange, infrastructure upgrades

Douglas County is pressing its case for federal money at the Quebec Street and C-470 interchange in Highlands Ranch, but the more than $16 million package it is touting was still only a committee-stage step in the FY27 appropriations process. County leaders said nearly $6 million would go to four major Douglas County infrastructure projects, with $2 million singled out for the interchange that serves Highlands Ranch commuters every day.

The county said the funding advanced as part of FY27 appropriations bills that cleared the House Appropriations Committee, after Congresswoman Lauren Boebert’s office said 16 of her Community Project Funding requests moved forward. Boebert’s office said she had submitted 20 FY27 requests for Colorado’s 4th Congressional District, framed around water and infrastructure projects across the district’s 21 counties. House guidance for the FY27 process requires members to post each Community Project Funding request publicly, and the posted tables show the items are still in committee rather than final law.

Douglas County Board of Commissioners Chairman George Teal called the result a win for residents, businesses and communities, saying the package would help with transportation upgrades and infrastructure needs. Commissioner Kevin Van Winkle called the $2 million request for Quebec Street and C-470 a major victory for Highlands Ranch residents and anyone who relies on that corridor every day. The county said the broader Douglas County share was expected to improve critical transportation corridors, enhance public safety, reduce congestion and expand essential infrastructure in Sedalia.

The Quebec Street and C-470 corridor is not a new pressure point. Douglas County and the Colorado Department of Transportation previously worked on a 2007 agreement tied to widening the Quebec Street bridge at C-470 and adding a pedestrian bridge, underscoring how long the interchange has been a transportation choke point. The new request puts the same corridor back at the center of the county’s federal ask, this time in a wider funding package tied to districtwide water, transportation, airport safety and rangeland resilience projects.

The county’s latest appeal also fits into a broader pattern of incremental federal support for roads south of Denver. In February, after President Donald Trump signed a five-bill appropriations minibus, Douglas County said it secured $500,000 for widening Highway 85 from Sedalia to Castle Rock. A July 2025 county update said the House Appropriations Committee had already advanced another $500,000 for design work on that same corridor. For now, the new Douglas County money is a step closer to the finish line, but still not a finished appropriation.