Westward Hold Up

CDOT takes aim at solving I-70 mountain congestion

Eleven years and $30-million worth of studies have found no workable or affordable solution to the severe congestion that often occurs along Interstate 70 between Golden and Edwards.

“Traffic growth there has been far greater than anywhere else in Colorado,” says Bob Wilson of the Colorado Department of Transportation. “I-70 saw a 6% increase in 2007, and 3.5% so far this year. Traffic counts at the Eisenhower Tunnel are approaching 35,000 vehicles a day. Nearly 3,000 of those are trucks.”

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In addition, skier visits to Colorado totaled 12.6 million in 2007, compared with 8 million in California and 4 million in Utah and Vermont combined. Summit County alone hosts more than 4 million skiers annually, and I-70 remains the best or, in some cases, the only way to get there.

Summer excursions, which now account for about 40% of revenue at many resorts, add to the level of traffic.

The permanent population of the Eagle-Summit County region is also growing rapidly and is expected to reach 500,000 by 2030. Rush hours are already a problem in several spots, most noticeably between Vail and Edwards.

Accelerated Collaboration As a result, CDOT has moved to accelerate planning efforts in recent years.

CDOT's latest initiatives aimed at resolving the often-contentious issues began with the launch of a Programmatic Environmental Impact Study in 2000. Planners are pushing to complete the final PEIS in 2009-2010.

Feedback on the draft PEIS, released in December 2004, called for a 50-year vision rather than the traditional 25-year outlook required by the National Environmental Policy Act. A multimodal solution (a mix of auto, bus and high-speed rail) was urged, along with a substantially larger budget than the $4.5 billion originally proposed.

A collaborative effort launched in November is a parallel planning process involving 27 stakeholder-representatives from business, local governments, environmental interests and state and federal agencies.

Participants include the Chambers of Commerce for Denver and Summit counties, Colorado Ski Country, Vail Associates, CDOT, Federal Highway Administration, Federal Transit Administration, Forest Service and Army Corps of Engineers.

The group hopes to reach some level of consensus concerning I-70 no later than July. Failing that, responsibility for a decision on I-70 reverts to CDOT and the Federal Highway Administration.

“The collaborative effort will define the what that happens along I-70 for the next 50 years,” says CDOT's Jeff Kullman.

Big Dig Dollars Concurrent with the collaboration is the Esthetic Community Value Work Plan, aimed at ensuring that any future transportation system blends with the alpine setting.

As many as 150 representatives from communities along the corridor are involved in this open-ended effort to look at everything from honoring historic motifs along the route to the color and texture of materials for interchanges, lane dividers, retaining walls and other factors

Reconstruction of I-70 through this mountain corridor would be one of the most extensive and expensive transportation projects ever attempted in the U.S. Unlikely to begin before at least 2013 and expected to take seven years to complete, the project could cost upwards of $12 billion in today's dollars. By way of comparison, Boston's Big Dig came in at $13 billion.

The price tag just for widening I-70 to six lanes between Floyd Hill and Frisco and over Vail Pass, plus associated interchange reconstruction, is roughly $4.1 billion (in 2007 dollars). An advanced-guideway system, either monorail or high-speed “commuter” train, between Golden and the Eagle County Airport, a little more than 100 mi, would call for an additional $8 billion but could be built in stages.

The technology exists to do the job, but it would require considerable innovation, Wilson says. Currently, a high-speed rail system equipped to handle I-70's 7% grades doesn't exist, not even in Europe. One alternative or complementary system involves the construction of an electric-powered guideway for special hybrid buses, a kind of plug-in light-rail.

Big Bores & Better Signs Whatever system or systems are chosen, they all face one major geographic hurdle: the Eisenhower Tunnel.

Photo courtesy of CDOT

Either the existing tunnel bores would have to be significantly enlarged or a new 2-mi superbore dug to the north. Cost estimates range from $500 million to $1.5 billion. Suspect geology and other factors make costs difficult to pin down.

Meanwhile, CDOT has initiated a series of interim steps to mitigate congestion. These include traffic management, interchange reconstruction and perhaps improvements to the twin tunnels below Idaho Springs.

High on CDOT's to-do list is an intelligent transportation system involving the deployment of signage, camera monitoring and variable speed limits. The prominent sign that currently flashes road conditions to westbound motorists near C-470 is part of this real-time effort.

Plans call for related signage to be installed in resort hotels and at the base of ski lifts, where motorists will be able obtain the latest information on road conditions and closures before they head east.

Space has been added to truck chain-up stations, where lighting will be beefed up with the addition of $3.5 million in new fixtures.

As part of a new effort launched in January, heavy-duty tow trucks stationed at strategic I-70 locations have been clearing stuck trucks from the roadway in record time. Trucks are now moved within 30 minutes as opposed to the once-typical 90. The tow service operates only on weekends during ski season.

Traffic Restrictions Restricting truck traffic to off-peak periods is another option being considered. A similar program has been successfully deployed on I-80 over Donner Pass between Reno and Sacramento.

“Of course, you have to provide parking during restricted periods,” Kullman says. “Truck stops would be built at regular intervals along I-70, starting from the Kansas line. Kiosks would flash real-time information to truckers about truck-stop occupancy and mountain road conditions.

CDOT has applied for a $20-million federal grant to help fund the work.

Interim efforts ahead of the massive overhaul of I-70 also include the redesign of key interchanges at Silverthorne, Empire, Eagle and Edwards. Another bottleneck that may be addressed sooner rather than later are the twin tunnels in the narrows below Idaho Springs.

“Basically, we have two options there,” Kullman says. “Drill a third bore or enlarge the existing tunnels to six lanes. Either one could be accomplished with minimal disruption to traffic flow.

CDOT will shortly be seeking a designer to reconfigure the 30-year-old Silverthorne interchange. Design and right-of-way acquisition for the $20- to $30-million reconstruction project are expected to take two years. The final configuration will most likely be some type of single-point urban interchange similar to Denver's Evans and Santa Fe.

I-70 across Highway 6, a hazardous material route and Silverthorne's “main street,” will be expanded to six lanes. A single signal light under the freeway should expedite local traffic flow and improve safety.

“Empire Junction, at I-70 and U.S. 40 to Winter Park, an extremely sensitive area, will require a much more deliberative process,” Kullman says. “The ultimate redesign might include a train station and new port-of-entry to be moved from Dumont, a much more congested area. Costs are expected to run between $50 and $100 million.”

Further west, in Eagle County, CDOT expects to begin making improvements to the Edwards interchange this summer. Besides this $10- to $12-million project, CDOT expects to evaluate improvements to the interchange for the town of Eagle.

CDOT's tax-revenue forecasts show $1.8 million in the pipeline for the eventual reconfiguration of I-70.

“This is not an easy nut to crack,” Kullman says. “It's a complicated issue. It's going to require a full-scale, multimodal approach, not simply a train or a highway.”

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