Bring a cooler. Bring a six-pack (of soft drinks). It could be a long ride. If you've been a visitor to Summit County and Vail Valley ski resorts in recent years, you will have noticed a marked increase in traffic, particularly west from Denver on Friday afternoon and evening and east toward Denver on Sunday afternoon and evening. For years now, the ongoing discussion has been how to accomodate the increasing traffic better. Of course, everyone has an opinion. The citizens voted down a referendum a few years ago to test a fixed guideway system (FGS) - basically, a raised monorail that would run on magnetic energy. Due to opposition by the Governor and a miscue on the part of the proponents of the system, the votes were not there. Interestingly, the complete test would have not required the taxpayers to pay any additional taxes. The taxes had already been collected, but due to our Tabor Amendment, a refund was due. The test phase would have meant an reduction by $19 of that refund. It was anticipated that the system could be operative by 2007. Many communities are affected by the traffic, from Denver International Airport through Denver to Golden, Idaho Springs, the ski communities of Summit County, the ski communities of the Vail Valley and all the way to Eagle. Most of these communities have opposed widening of the highway. In fact, it was shown in the late 90s that widening of the highway would cost double what the FGS would have cost. But, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) has put most of its focus on adding lanes. And, for now, Vail Resorts has jumped on the bandwagon as a "temporary" solution, while pushing for future mass transit options. The neighbors, however, are not so convinced. At a public meeting last week in Eagle County, citizens drove from as far away as Idaho Springs to voice their opinions against the option of adding lanes. Their ire was directed primarily at State Transportation Director, Tom Norton, who (it appears) unilaterally set a spending limit of $4 billion. That means that anything outside that range could not be considered. Other options are now higher (even the FGS?). Citizens decried the negative affect on lifestyle, both for construction (expected to last 15 years), and after. They want a solution that will last beyond 2025. That might be possible if the fix wasn't in. So, Tom, is it? And for those of you who will visit in the meantime, you might consider the option that hundreds have taken in the meantime - contact SnowHome Properties to purchase your SnowHome, and have a place to stay while traffic subsides on the weekends. |
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