FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 19, 2004

CONTACT: Meghan Dougherty 303-331-6887 Lindsey Zimmerman 303-860-1040

HUNDREDS CELEBRATE OPENING OF CENTRAL CITY PARKWAY
CULMINATING 10-YEAR JOURNEY, BUILDING OF A DREAM

Indy 500 Champion Buddy Lazier Tests Quick, Easy, Scenic,
Four-Lane Parkway At Special Grand Opening Celebration

Central City, Colo. -- It is a fact that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. Also now a fact is a 10-year vision realized--the grand opening of the new Central City Parkway--a quick, easy and scenic four-lane parkway to Central City. The Central City Business Improvement District (CCBID) celebrates the parkway's grand opening ahead of schedule, at noon today, with a special celebration and media event this morning.

While the speed limit will be enforced at the completion of the event, the question has been asked, "Just How Fast is the Central City Parkway?" For most travelers it is expected to take approximately 12-minutes from I-70, but today, Buddy Lazier, 1996 Indy 500 champion, will be the first to drive the new parkway, setting a 1-time speed record to celebrate the grand opening. Central City Mayor Buddy Schmalz will accompany Buddy Lazier on the inaugural ride. Lazier will be followed by 12 of the country's fastest, vintage race cars, provided by Arvada's Nostalgia Racing, Inc., a vintage race car club. The cars will participate in a race-format procession of Central City dignitaries and Business Improvement District Board Members. The vintage race cars will include a 1971 McLaren M8D, one of the rarest race cars in the world, along with many other racing gems from by-gone years including a 1960 Austin Healy Bug-Eye Sprite; 1967 Bobsy SR; 1967 Porsche 911S; 1971 Camaro; 1966 Shelby GT 350; 1970 Porsche 911T; 2005 Lotus Elise; 1971 Lotus Elan +2; 1957 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce, and two 1967 S series Austin Mini Coopers.

Rounding out the dedication at the I-70 exit 243 interchange are performances by members of the Central City Opera who will sing the National Anthem, and an appearance by an eight-horse Percheron team, who serve as the official ambassadors for Ames Construction, Inc., the company in charge of roadway construction.

Following the dedication and race-procession up the parkway, a special reception and block party will be held in Central City where Buddy Lazier will announce his Central City Parkway record time, with additional performances by the Central City Opera and a showcase of the vintage racing cars.

It will culminate with a champagne toast at noon as the Central City Parkway officially opens to the public.

Completed in just 15 months and within the $38.3 million construction budget, the parkway provides a new direct route from I-70 that will take travelers just 12-minutes to the historic mountain communities of Central City and Black Hawk. The Central City Parkway broke ground in October 2003 and is a privately funded project of the Central City Business Improvement District comprised of local businesses and property owners.

"We are thrilled to announce the opening of the parkway on budget and ahead of schedule," said Joe Behm, president of the Central City Business Improvement District and marketing director of Fortune Valley casino in Central City. "We have heard tremendous feedback about its quality and have seen real excitement in the community. We are confident the parkway will be well used and that Central City will enjoy increased revenues from it.?"

The Central City Parkway is an 8.4-mile, four-lane road that runs from Hidden Valley at I-70 Exit 243 straight into downtown Central City. The roadway has a total paved width of 64 feet that includes two 8-foot shoulders and scenic pullouts. The maximum grade along the roadway is less than eight percent, similar to the grade on the eastbound frontage road to I-70 at Floyd Hill. Rock-catch ditches help prevent falling rock on the road and a south exposure of a majority of the road will accelerate snowmelt. The parkway will be maintained and patrolled by Central City.

"Sustained by the city and local businesses for the past 10 years, we are excited to be turning the new parkway over to the people who will use and enjoy it," said Buddy Schmalz, mayor of Central City. "And we are proud to have done it without burdening Colorado taxpayers with the cost."

The parkway bonds will be repaid by taxes collected within the Central City Business Improvement District.

In addition to providing a modern, quick road for gaming patrons, the Central City Parkway will also be a scenic route for tourists and skiers, with rolling mountain meadows and hillsides, scenic pull outs for wildlife viewing, such as bighorn sheep and mule deer, as well as a number of old abandoned gold mines. In Central City, visitors can enjoy historic sites, such as the Central City Opera house, built in 1878, the Gilpin History Museum or an original schoolhouse built in 1870.

The Central City Parkway is a collaborative effort of local and regional government agencies, local businesses and private landowners. It was constructed to meet or exceed Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) standards and was made possible through an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) between Central City, Clear Creek County and Idaho Springs. The parkway was constructed by the design/build team of Ames Construction, Inc. and HNTB Companies, with the engineering consulting firms of Sellards & Grigg and TST Infrastructure providing construction oversight and administration.

For more information on the new parkway, digital photos of the dedication ceremony and race cars, and video of Buddy Lazier?s first drive up the parkway, visit www.centralcityparkway.com.

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