Transportation
Northern Colorado is ideally located for access to major air, motor and rail arteries, with Denver’s International Airport (DEN) approximately one hour away.
Motor connections can be easily made with Interstate 25 (north-south artery) adjacent to the city. Connection to Interstate 80 (east-west artery) is just 40 miles to the north. Interstate 70 (east-west artery) can be reached just 60 miles to the south
Air:
Denver International Airport (DIA) is currently the sixth busiest airport in the United States and 11th in the world. In 2005, DIA averaged 1,555 commercial flights daily (arrivals and departures) and served over 43 million passengers, an increase of 2.6 percent over 2004. DIA provides over 130 daily, nonstop flights to national and international cities.
- Runways: six; five are 12,000 feet (3,640 meters) long and the sixth is 16,000 feet (4,853 meters) long
- Terminal building: Elrey B. Jeppesen Terminal (dual-sided)
- Concourses: three airside concourses -- A, B and C
- Gates: 93, including access gates to commuter facilities
- Number of passenger airlines: 30
The Fort Collins/Loveland Airport (FNL) is an FAA certified general aviation airport located on the high plains along the Interstate 25 corridor approximately fifty-five miles north of Denver. The airport currently has commercial airline service and also serves corporate and general aviation needs.
The Fort Collins/Loveland Airport has convenient nearby accommodations and access to the area's many recreational amenities, including Rocky Mountain National Park. The runway, which is 8500 feet long and 100 feet wide, is serviced with high intensity lighting and an instrument landing system. You will experience direct, no-delay, all weather ATC approaches to the airport's ILS runway with full ILS, VOR/DME and RNAV.
For a live look at the weather at the Fort Collins/Loveland Airport click on the link or visit: www.airportview.net
Road:
Motor connections can be easily made with Interstate 25 (north-south artery) adjacent to the city. Connection to Interstate 80 (east-west artery) is just 40 miles to the north. Interstate 70 (east-west artery) can be reached just 60 miles to the south.
E-470 is now complete from I-25 (south of the Hwy.7 exit) to Denver International Airport This route has three Tolls ($4.00 total) and is a longer distance to travel. The benefit is that the tollway is not as congested and usually makes for a faster route.
Transportation (Distance From
Fort Collins to Selected Cities) |
City |
Miles |
Minutes |
Loveland |
8 |
10 |
Boulder |
46 |
60 |
Greeley |
29 |
35 |
Metro Denver |
62 |
75 |
Windsor |
10 |
15 |
Cheyenne, WY |
45 |
60 |
|
Rail:
Freight service is provided to and from Larimer County via the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, Great Western,
and Union Pacific Railroads.
Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway
For more than 150 years, BNSF Railway has been quietly delivering cars, coal, clothing, games and nearly anything
else found in homes and businesses. When the predecessors to BNSF Railway first started operations, we were
building a nation by shrinking America's borders. Today, our focus is on using speed, agility and resourcefulness
to help expand the global marketplace for goods and services.
Today, BNSF Railway plays a vital role for people around the world every day of the year -magazines are published
on paper delivered by our trains, medicines are carried for distribution to hospitals and pharmacies, produce is
shipped from farms to markets... the list is endless.
All this is accomplished by a BNSF Railway team that is progressive, vital, resourceful and approachable. Through
contemporary, world-class people, processes and technology, BNSF Railway provides an easy, relevant choice for
all types of shippers in a wide variety of locations.
Great Western Railway
GWR operates a total of 80 miles of track and interchanges with BNSF Railway and Union Pacific Railroad. Greatly
expanding its customer base since its acquisition, GWR has become a vital link in Northern Colorado's transportation
network. Currently, GWR serves a diverse base of customers including;All Weather Wood, Amalgamated Sugar,
Anheuser-Busch, Eastman Kodak, O-I Packaging Corporation of America, Simplot, TMSI Warehouse, Universal Forest
Products, Wedron Silica, as well as many companies in fertilizer, grain, and building materials markets. GWR is
aggressively pursuing the development of new industry along the railroad. GWR is home to the Great Western
Industrial Park, a 700 acre rail served industrial complex that is being planned and developed by Broe Real Estate.
Transportation, aggressive development, and Northern Colorado's skilled labor force has attracted many Fortune
500 companies to Northern Colorado where they have made it home
Union Pacific
Union Pacific Railroad is an operating subsidiary of Union Pacific Corporation. It is the largest railroad in North
America, operating in the western two-thirds of the United States. The railroad serves 23 states, linking every
major West Coast and Gulf Coast port and provides service to the east through its four major gateways in Chicago,
St. Louis, Memphis and New Orleans. Additionally, Union Pacific operates key north/south corridors and is the only
railroad to serve all six major gateways to Mexico. UP also interchanges traffic with the Canadian rail systems.
The railroad has one of the most diversified commodity mixes in the industry, including chemicals, coal, food and food products, forest products, grain and grain products, intermodal, metals and minerals, and automobiles and parts.
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Utilities & Water
Water:
The Colorado Division of Water Resources (Office of the State Engineer) is an agency within the Department of Natural
Resources which provides administration of Colorado's water resources to meet the demands of today, and to provide
for the needs of tomorrow. They are committed to meeting the ever increasing challenges of origin issues, reserved
rights, wetlands, endangered species recovery and interstate water issues on an already limited water supply.
Electric Service:
Platte River Power Authority (PRPA), a joint action agency formed by the cities of Fort Collins, Longmont, Loveland
and Estes Park, supplies the Utility’s electricity and power. PRPA’s power comes from federally owned hydro-electric
plants; a western Colorado coal-fired plant; Rawhide Energy Station, a 250-megawatt coal-fired plant 18 miles north
of Fort Collins; and two 600-watt wind turbines 100 miles north of Fort Collins near Medicine Bow, WY.
- Serving more than 50,000 customers, the City of Fort Collins’ electric utility is the second largest municipal electric system in Colorado. Electric rates within the city are typically lower than rates from suppliers outside city limits.
- The City of Loveland's Water and Power Authority allows residential customers to enjoy low electric rates
with only three out of 51 utilities in Colorado providing lower rates. Overall, residential electric rates have
decreased by about 18% since Aug 1, 1995. The electric utility is debt-free.
Natural Gas:
Xcel Energy provides natural gas to Northern Colorado. It currently serves over 45,000 customers.
Gas is the primary source of space heating in Northern Colorado.
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Telecommunications
The Northern Colorado Region has a master planned infrastructure network that provides redundant, high-speed interconnectivity for companies and access to multiple service providers. Northern Colorado has several business parks that are carrier neutral, yet can provide interconnectivity to Qwest’s Central offices in Loveland, Fort Collins, and Greeley, providing regional connectivity to the vast majority of the Northern Colorado Region.
