The Denver Regional Council of Governments board of directors voted Wednesday night to include the proposed Jefferson Parkway toll road in the group's long-range transportation plan.
The vote - 35 for and 17 against - came after more than two hours of often passionate debate.
Jefferson County, Broomfield and Arvada have been promoting the toll highway, which would run from the Interlocken commercial complex just off U.S. 36 to Colorado 93 on the north end of Golden, as a key link for completing the beltway around the entire metro area.
Getting DRCOG to include the toll highway in its transportation plan was a prerequisite for luring private investment in the road, according to some board members who backed the measure.
"We're grateful to the DRCOG board for their commitment to serve the best interests of the entire region," said Jefferson County Commissioner Kevin McCasky, who also is board chairman of toll parkway authority.
Officials from the city of Golden and communities in Boulder County were among those opposing the effort to include the toll highway in DRCOG's plan.
Golden will bear "most of the impacts" of a toll highway that ends on the city's north side while other cities get benefits from the road, said Jacob Smith, the city's mayor and a member of the DRCOG board.
Approval of the Jefferson Parkway, as currently planned, "throws Golden off the cliff and throws a huge amount of traffic down (Colorado) 93," Smith said.
