'Economic catalyst' road linking Pueblo and Pueblo West needs a name

The Pueblo County Commission has set up a committee to name the yet-to-be-built road that is expected to be an economic catalyst when it connects Pueblo Boulevard to Pueblo West in the coming years.

The road-naming committee will be chaired by Steve Nawrocki and include seven other members, chosen for their diverse backgrounds and experience.

They have already met once and will meet several more times over the next few months to consider a name for the boulevard extension, and serve as "a sounding board for the community," Pueblo County Commissioner Garrison Ortiz said.

When the committee members consider a name, "They really want to capture the power and catalytic impacts of this road when it comes to economic development and connectivity in the community," he said.

Members of the public will be able to comment on the road-naming process at public meetings, or bring their thoughts directly to the committee, he said, although dates for public meetings have not yet been decided and there is no shortlist of names.

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In the coming days, committee members will take "a bumpy tour" of the area where the road will be built "to get a good feel for what it will do for the surrounding area," Ortiz said.

But there are no conditions or assumptions when it comes to the name they decide on.

"It could be a person, an adjective, a verb, a myriad of things. Everything is on the table," Ortiz said.

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Suggestions will be brought to the board of the County Commission, which will hold a public meeting to "solidify" the choice, he said.

"We intend to have a name for the boulevard extension and unveil that name at the groundbreaking" for construction of the road, which is expected to happen in the third or fourth quarter of this year, at the same time as ground is broken on the project to build a new county jail, Ortiz said.

Roady McRoadface — a nod to Boaty McBoatface, which the British public chose as the name for a new polar research ship — was unlikely to make the cut, as the name doesn't capture the extent and possibilities of the road project, which, Ortiz said, will include a trail system, charging plazas for electric vehicles, and two lanes in either direction.

"This extension ... was contemplated once as a toll road or one lane each way, and we're really proud that the citizens will get the best version of this road possible," Ortiz said. "We're going to do this in the most impactful way possible."

The British named their research vessel after renowned naturalist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough, but, respecting the people's choice, named one of the ship's remotely operated sub-sea vehicles Boaty.

Karin Zeitvogel can be contacted at kzeitvogel@chieftain.com.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo County committee to choose name for 'economic catalyst' road