Human nature will not let anything of consequence happen until there seems to be no other choice. Residents of the mountain communities as well as front range commuters to the ski resorts have been witnessing a rapid collapse of the the I-70 corridor from Denver to Vail for some time now. Traffic during holidays and weekends has started to try the patience of just about everyone. Unfortunately, up until now, there has only been bickering between the groups who think they have a solution to this vexing problem. With numerous lengthy closures to I-70 this winter, traffic to and from Vail is now becoming the 800# gorilla that requires consensus…..NOW.
Last week, longtime adversaries in this multifacited argument evidently came to terms on a compromise solution that will start attacking the problem of how we get there and get back. For years now, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) has been advocating more of the same - adding additional lanes to the I-70 corrider. The opposition, which includes many of the moutain communities along the I-70 corridor, have resisted widening the highway and have been lobbying for some new solutions, including investigation of either a rail system or even a monorail system that could link Denver International Airport to Vail -Eagle Regional Airport. The agreement includes widening of several sections of I-70 in current bottleneck areas but not through the opposing communities of Idaho Springs and Georgetown. This would require another tunnel bore at the Idaho Springs Twin Tunnel and most likely a third bore for the Eisenhower Tunnel. In addition, widening of I-70 from Silver Plume through Summit County, improvements to Vail Pass and several interchange upgrades would be accomplished. In return, CDOT has finally committed to consider a mass transit system - something they have been doggedly fighting for years.
Everyone party to the agreement admits that the proposed changes are limited in scope and effectiveness. Naturally, this progress will require tons of impact studies - all of which will be the basis for many colorful fights to come. By CDOT’s estimates, it will take until 2020 to fund and build these limited improvements. No estimate has been offered as to when a mass transit system can be agreed to.
As always, public works projects take a lot of time and it will take until at least 2020 to fund and complete even the limited proposed improvements. It is unfortunate that the plan everyone seems to have agreed on (though not yet documented) is at best a band-aid that will obviously be inadequate even before it has been completed. Indeed, one CDOT study reveals that by 2020, traffic congestion that is now common to weekend and holiday travelers will by then be a daily event. I personally believe that the only real fix to the problem is providing modern, high speed public transit to and from the lifts. While many are saying that Americans won’t use mass transit, it’s becoming more and more apparent that we just can’t continue to do things the old way. The choice between a relaxed, weather-worry-free, one hour ride to the slopes versus a nerve-racking 4 hour drive (each way) at $10 per gallon seems to me to be a no brainer. Opponents argue that the technology a monorail system that would fulfill our needs doesn’t exist. Then again, we put a man on the moon. We need an Out of the Box solution here. Perhaps this agreement between factions who have been warring for 10 years is the first step.
John Nilsson
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