Will Monarch Blvd. become a four-lane 50 mph freeway?
Douglas County does not have plans to widen Monarch Boulevard to a four lane major arterial. Monarch Blvd. is shown as a minor arterial on the Douglas County 2020 Transportation Plan, which would mean it would stay in its current two-lane configuration. The County Capital Improvements Program’s Twenty Yearlong Range Budget Plan does not identify widening of Monarch Blvd. as a project to receive any funding in the next 20 years. However, the County had completed a Highlands Ranch Transportation Improvements Plan (HR TIP) in 2006 that identified close to $80 million in transportation improvements for the next 20+ years to serve Highlands Ranch traffic. Part of the plan identified portions of Monarch for widening when and if traffic increased beyond a certain point. This would be a lower priority for the County than the other projects identified by the HR TIP. With regard to the speed limit increase: Generally, with the exception of local residential streets, it is common for the county t
