I-70 improvements moving slowly
Document is start of long process to improve traffic along corridor
Monday, March 7, 2011
Eagle — The Interstate 70 corridor is in danger because of traffic congestion that negatively impacts the economy, decreases mobility and compromises safety, according to a newly released document.
But because the interstate runs through Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, the natural environment is a major concern, and practically a roadblock, for fixing problems along the road, says the report, which was 10 years in the making.
“The protection of the narrow mountain valleys, existing historic communities and extensive natural resources is critical to the state of Colorado and the communities in the corridor; and these resources (along with natural hazards) define critical constraints for transportation solutions in the corridor,” according to the report.
The final version of the I-70 document was recently released by the Colorado Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration after public hearings and recommendations from a group of regional stakeholders. The document, officially called a programmatic environmental impact statement, is the first part of a two-part phase that identifies and examines a broad spectrum of transportation improvements. This first phase will not result in any construction or actual impacts, but it will guide the second part of the process, which should ultimately result in changes along the corridor.
The process is required under the National Environmental Policy Act before any major changes can be made along the 144-mile Interstate 70 corridor.
State Rep. Millie Hamner told about 20 local residents at an Edwards town hall meeting Saturday that she’s carrying a bill this legislative session that charges the Colorado Department of Transportation to come up with short-term fixes by next year.
“Long-term solutions will cost money, and we don’t have the money right now,” Hamner said.
She said the corridor is a huge problem, and there needs to be something done soon that can ease some of the pain.
A group of stakeholders identified a “multimodal” solution for I-70, meaning the answer is to add other forms of transportation to the corridor aside from just vehicles. The group’s findings are known collectively as the “preferred alternative” in the final document released last week.
That preferred alternative states that transit fixes along I-70 should improve safety and mobility, should be adaptive to broader global trends in the future, should meet the needs of all environmental and legal requirements, should preserve and enhance local resources and ecosystem functions and should be economically viable.
The noninfrastructure-related components in that preferred alternative for the corridor include driver education, increased enforcement, use of technology and transit incentives, to name a few.
The group also concluded that a so-called Advanced Guideway System would be needed along the corridor — in other words, a high-speed guideway system such as rail. There will be multiple studies completed in the coming months and years of such a rail system to determine whether it could be built, according to the document.
By 2020, the Colorado Department of Transportation and Federal Highways Administration will reassess the purpose and effectiveness of this latest document’s listed alternatives and may reconsider all of the options, if necessary.
Comments
mtntrekker 2 years, 2 months ago
Didn't CDOT already do a feasibility sudy for high speed rail a few years ago? To improve traffic flow on busy weekends, CDOT needs to stop metering traffic at Eisenhower tunnel.
Fred Duckels 2 years, 2 months ago
This high speed rail is an environmentalist's wet dream. All the studies are necessary to let these folks pontificate.
mtroach 2 years, 2 months ago
I'm still agast the c-dot is spending $55mil to fix the problem at the twin tunnels below Idaho Springs. Drivers are frightened to maintain the speed limit thru the tunnels, and that causes traffic to back up. Why not lower the speedlimit all the way from the top when eastbound traffic is building? If the blockage is caused by too many cars presenting to this slowdown, slow incomming btraffic to the spedd it flowing at the tunnel and reduce the demand from the top. Cheaper that $55mil+ the revenue from speeding tickets from those that don't get the point of the lower speeds.
Zed 2 years, 2 months ago
This is nothing that $5 gallon gas can't fix. Multi-modal stops being a wet dream when foreign oil is bankrupting your economy. Do you think the oil cartels and our strategic oil reserves are enough to keep gas prices artificially low forever?
I guess we could just invade Libya to bring back stability to the oil market, we might even be greeted as liberators!
Scott Wedel 2 years, 2 months ago
The economics of rail is a pretty straightforward calculation of how many people that need to move how far through a how often badly congested area. I70 is so far short of that to be a joke. Didn't last study (during the boom) say no earlier than 2030 for I70 and more like 2050? The passengers want to go too far on a highway congested a few hours a week.
We'll know the congestion is serious when they limit truck traffic on the highway during peak travel hours.
But these computer driver systems probably will have an anti congestion mode within 20 years where they monitor road conditions and maintain even speed. The biggest congestion problem is that a highway can handle more vehicles per hour at 55 mph and then it becomes stop and go when someone does something stupid and another idiot hits the brakes instead of just easing up.
sledneck 2 years, 2 months ago
The traffic problem on I-70 is due in large part to one simple yet very prolific ignorance on the part of drivers. It is a rampant problem from coast to coast. I have driven all types of vehicles, trucks, etc all over the country and I see it every day, in every state, on every mile of road.
That problem is that people drive in the overtaking/passing lane. That the left lane is designed for the purpose of passing and not for just driving escapes a full 80% of drivers today. And why should they care? They don't know someone is behind them wanting to pass because they think their rearview-mirror is for shaving or putting on makeup.
If anyone doubts this, count the number of vehicles in the left lane in front of you vs the right lane next time you drive to Denver.
A few years ago I thought CO passed a law that would allow tropers to cite drivers for tying up traffic by hogging the passing lanes. What happened? I guess it's proving about as helpful as most other laws that are unenforced.
Steve Lewis 2 years, 2 months ago
The economic costs of congestion seem to be the short term focus of the study, while the "preferred alternative" stakeholders are looking further ahead: "transit fixes along I-70 should ... should be adaptive to broader global trends in the future...".
We should consider ourselves stakeholders in the preferred alternative view. Unless we think airline subsidies are a realistic solution in the long term, we should acknowledge our benefit from improvements in the I-70 corridor that bring alternatives of rail and bus service, or whatever works, closer to Routt.
Steve Lewis 2 years, 2 months ago
High speed rail, if it comes, will not come soon enough. But there is rail into Routt's communities today that will play an increased role, along with smarter use of other modes. As questions about reliable air service become increasingly relevant, we should make alternative transportation connections between NW Colorado and the front range a priority.
I don't know if the proponents of air subsidy, the LMD or Ski Corp, will endorse a competing vision to Chicago-Hayden air service. But our City and County governments should.
Scott Wedel 2 years, 2 months ago
Steve, So why do you assume that subsidized travel to and from SB will be so important into the future? Census says SB population nearly doubled over past 20 years and SB skier days is apparently unchanged (right about 1 million) for 20 years. Looks like air passenger seats along with the number of passengers have also stayed about the same.
Yeah, trust it to local government to make it a priority to protect an ever decreasing portion of the local economy.
Steve Lewis 2 years, 2 months ago
Scott, I'm not really talking about just the skiers, though the paid seats are probably for them.
We are a remote resort that has made lifestyle into an industry. Location neutral businesses and a lot of second homeowners weigh convenient access in their decision to be here. We will try to maximize the convenience of traveling here, but I expect that convenience to decline.
I think we will be fine, but I do expect transportation will see some shifts. I simply recommend other modes will be needed to maximize our future economic benefits.
Scott Wedel 2 years, 2 months ago
Steve, If local neutral businesses were using airline seats then the number of passengers should have sharply increased.
And skier days being flat as local population nearly doubled either means local skier days has stayed flat despite the population increase or number of tourist skier days has declined.
If airline seats matters for LNBs and locals then year round service is far more import5ant than seasonal service and reducing the fares by a few dollars is far less important than the availability.
If tourists are the primary objective then cheaper seats during peak tourism periods should be the goal.
So what is the plan and does it correlate to the stated objectives?
shawant 2 years, 2 months ago
sled:
Isn't that "right-lane-only" law just another infringement on our freedom that you are always complaining about? Are you saying that we should be willing to sacrifice a little freedom for the common good? Isn't that just socialism in sheep's clothing?
Fred Duckels 2 years, 2 months ago
Steve, Your ideas have merit and wouldn't it be nice? In the end it is the marketplace that will make those decisions. In due time oil may become too expensive and then alternatives will have their day, with no help from central planning. Compare our experience with your "affordable housing" that the market dispatched effortlessly. We need faith to trust that our system really does work, much better than the alterntive.
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