Agenda Date: 08/19/2025
Subject:
Title
Resolution 81-2025: Authorizing an Intergovernmental Agreement with Arapahoe County regarding a financial contribution for the Littleton Boulevard Fiberoptic Installation Project
Body
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From: |
James L. Becklenberg, City Manager |
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Prepared by: |
Brent Soderlin, Director of Public Works & Utilities |
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Brent Thompson, City Engineer |
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Aaron Heumann, Transportation Engineering Manager |
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Matthew Matuszewski, CIP Manager |
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Presentations: |
N/A |
PURPOSE:
To request approval of an Intergovernmental Agreement with Arapahoe County providing financial contribution for the Littleton Boulevard Fiberoptic Installation Project.
LONG-TERM OUTCOME(S) SERVED:
Safe Community; High-Quality Governance
DISCUSSION:
The City of Littleton’s Public Works Department is responsible for the operations and maintenance of traffic signals within the city, including signal timing and signal phasing. Fiberoptic communications are necessary to securely and rapidly communicate between traffic control systems and the traffic signal control network. Traffic safety throughout the city, of which the traffic signal system and infrastructure play a key role, is critical as highlighted in the city’s Transportation Master Plan. Traffic congestion and traffic signal operational efficiency are issues that routinely and adversely affect the traveling public and continue to rank high on topics of concern in community surveys. Fiberoptic networks also provide communication and connection between city facilities and for other operations.
The City of Littleton, in partnership with Arapahoe County, is striving to create a reliable, secure and high-speed fiber network which will improve the jurisdictions’ safety, communications, and operations, including within the traffic signal system, between facilities, and for emergency services.
This proposed fiber communications upgrade project on Littleton Boulevard will establish new fiberoptic connections for the City of Littleton and Arapahoe County to accommodate future shared traffic operations and traffic management information. The project will provide fiber to:
• West Littleton Boulevard, connecting the Arapahoe County Administrative Building, Arapahoe County Courts Building, ten traffic signals, one pedestrian signal, and one emergency signal to the Littleton Center and existing fiber backbone in Broadway.
• The County Line Road and Erickson Boulevard signalized intersection, connecting to the existing Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) fiber along Santa Fe Drive.
• Datura Street from Littleton Boulevard, connecting five city facilities including the Littleton Museum, Littleton Museum Collections Building, Littleton Municipal Courthouse, Littleton Center and Bemis Library.
This resolution would approve an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) between the City of Littleton and Arapahoe County to define funding and infrastructure contributions, and project implementation responsibilities for the installation of fiber along Littleton Boulevard. Per the IGA attached, Arapahoe County will provide funding in the amount of $159,466 for design, construction, and construction management and inspection costs for the Littleton Boulevard Fiberoptic Installation Project (the project). The city will provide funding for the remaining $739,199 of the total combined total of costs for design, construction, and construction management and inspection. Additionally, the county will provide use of their existing conduit under the railroad depression, near Slaughterhouse Gulch. The city will manage and oversee the design and construction. The city will also provide up to 216 fiber strands for county use.
The city and Arapahoe County, and likely other surrounding agencies will enter into a separate IGA that will define future maintenance, repair responsibilities and fiber assignments, for the fiber installed along Littleton Boulevard, Broadway, and other shared corridors throughout the region. The city will be responsible for the maintenance of this fiber infrastructure until this future IGA is executed.
The installation of this new fiber network will eliminate the need for the city to continue to lease fiber from Comcast, which currently costs the city over $5,000 per month.
Construction of the project is currently underway, with anticipated completion in the fall of 2025.
BACKGROUND:
The City of Littleton’s safety, communications and operational success requires a reliable, secure and high-speed interconnected fiber network. The partnership created through this IGA will strength the resiliency of a city owned fiber network, by creating redundancies within the fiber network, and alternate methods for data sharing, secure storage facilities and a shared interest in regular maintenance of a system. The City of Littleton and Arapahoe County operate buildings and traffic signals throughout their municipal boundaries.
Establishing an interconnected fiber network for municipal and emergency management services use ensures that the city and its partners can provide rapid and reliable communications throughout their networks to keep staff informed and the public safe.
The Littleton Boulevard Fiberoptics Installation for Traffic Operations Project serves as the next segment in the backbone fiber system identified in the Transportation Master Plan and Fiber Master Plan, which identifies the need for Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) technologies along key transportation corridors. This fiberoptic project will allow staff to undertake traffic signal equipment upgrades along Littleton Boulevard, connect to the fiber installed as part of the first phase of the Broadway Fiberoptic Project completed in 2024, and further the city’s inter-agency collaboration. Future fiber installation projects are planned in the 5-year Capital Improvement Plan on the southern segment of Broadway to C470 (2027).
Key project elements include:
• The installation of fiber optics will provide reliable and efficient communication for the upgraded signal equipment along Littleton Boulevard from Rio Grande Street to Broadway.
• The equipment currently operating the four signalized intersections within the project area is outdated, preventing the ability for safety upgrades. The upgraded equipment will provide more consistency throughout Littleton for improved maintenance and management of the signal system.
• This project will not only enhance the communication network but aims to develop redundancy of the City’s traffic communication network. The addition of fiber along this segment of Littleton Boulevard is a key step in creating a complete fiber loop around the city, allowing staff to maintain communication with its traffic assets while repairs are being completed in the event of unintentional fiber damage. This means that even if one section of the fiber is cut, communication can still be maintained through alternative routes within the fiber loop. This feature significantly improves the resilience and reliability of the communication system, ensuring uninterrupted communication between the traffic signals and the Littleton Central Traffic Control System in the Littleton Center.
• This project will provide access to a larger fiber traffic communication network for the jurisdictions connected in the first phase of the Broadway Fiberoptic Project (Littleton, Arapahoe County, and Centennial), and make further steps towards a vision of a future regional traffic operations center.
This proposed communications upgrade project will continue installation of fiber connections for the City of Littleton and Arapahoe County to accommodate future shared traffic operations and traffic management information. The project will extend the reach of the fiber network installed with the Broadway Fiberoptic Project completed in 2024.
There are 432 strands of fiber installed along the alignment of the completed Broadway Fiberoptic project. Arapahoe County and the City of Centennial will be allowed to access this fiber, the details of which are outlined in a separate agreement. 432 fiber strands will also be installed on the Littleton Boulevard Project. As part of access to this new fiber on Littleton Boulevard, Arapahoe County has agreed to contribute funding towards the project.
Prior Actions or Discussions
On February 6, 2024, the city approved an IGA with Arapahoe County for cost sharing, fiber strand dedication, commitment to further agreements and maintenance responsibilities for the Broadway Fiber Installation Project, City Project Number 21-32.
On May 20, 2025, council approved Resolution 45-2025 approving a construction contract with TAK Broadband, LLC for the construction of the Littleton Boulevard Fiberoptics Installation for Traffic Operations Project, City Project No. 21-37.
FISCAL IMPACTS:
The total project cost is $898,665 for design, construction, and construction management and inspection.
The proposed IGA will accept a contribution for the construction of the fiber installation from Arapahoe County in the amount of $159,466.00. This amount accounts for approximately 20% of the project being outside of Littleton Boulevard, which does not benefit Arapahoe County. The reimbursement also accounts for the value of Arapahoe County’s existing conduit under the railroad, without which would result in additional project costs for a new crossing.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends approval of the resolution.
ALTERNATIVES:
The alternative for approval would be to reject this IGA. Without Arapahoe County’s funding contributions, the city would have to fund the entire project. Without the county’s contribution for the railroad crossing location, the city would have to identify another railroad crossing location, which would in turn require extensive permitting through the Regional Transportation District (RTD), Burlington North Santa Fe Railroad (BNSF), and Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) to allow for construction across their rail lines. Rejection of the IGA would also prevent another great partnership opportunity between the City of Littleton and Arapahoe County, who previously entered into a similar IGA pertaining to the sharing of the fiber, installed by Littleton on Broadway in 2023.
PROPOSED MOTION:
Proposed Motion
I move to approve Resolution 81-2025 authorizing an Intergovernmental Agreement with Arapahoe County regarding a financial contribution for the Littleton Boulevard Fiberoptic Installation Project.