I-70 to be widened? get a monorail? better bus service?

Right now the Colorado Department of Transportation is deciding what to do about traffic congestion on I-70. Should we widen the highway, add more bus service, increase the number of trains, build a monorail? Links to the various parts of the actual plan for I-70 can be found at 2010 Revised Draft PEIS. The sections that I read were not written in any known human language, but when they added the Denver meeting maybe they added actual English. Right now it seems that CDOT is proposing to widen I-70 in some places, add bus service, and build a monorail.

As of today (Monday, October 4) there are four public meetings. All meetings start at 5pm with an Open House and an opportunity to submit written comments. At 6pm a presentation starts. After 6:30, the public can submit verbal comments until 8pm. Current information is available at I-70 Mountain Corridor. I will list each meeting as I learn about it along with information about how to get there on public transit.

Tuesday, October 5, Silverthorne
Silverthorne Pavilions
400 Blue River Parkway
Silverthorne Pavilions is two blocks east on Fourth of the Silverthorne Transfer Center. Hourly free buses run around downtown Silverthorne and to Frisco, Dillon, Keystone until well past the end of the meeting. There does not seem to be any bus service to most of the residential areas of Silverthorne.

Wednesday, October 6, Clear Creek County
Clear Creek County High School
185 Beaver Brook Drive
Technically, this is in Evergreen, but it is nowhere near what people think of as the city of Evergreen, and is far outside of the RTD's service area. There is no bus service to this location. (Poor kids)

Thursday, October 7, Eagle
Eagle County Fairgrounds
0426 Fairgrounds Road
ECO Transit provides bus service within Eagle County. I am not sure which bus stop is the closest, but it is possible to walk to the meeting location along 5th Street from the Eagle County Building stop. Buses run through downtown Eagle to Vail, Avon, Edwards, and Gypsum. A roundtrip costs the same as a day pass ($8), so I recommend getting the pass just in case. In the evening, buses run more frequently to Gypsum (hourly) than to Vail, Avon and Edwards (every two or three hours). You have to call 970-328-3520 two hours in advance for pickup from some locations, but not for any downtown stops.

Thursday, October 21, Denver
CDOT Headquarters, Auditorium
4201 East Arkansas Avenue
CDOT Headquarters are located one block east of Colorado Boulevard between Louisiana and Arkansas Avenues. On Google Maps it looks like you can enter from both Louisiana and Arkansas, which is good because the 40 stops on Louisiana. The 79 runs along E. Florida to both the University of Denver and Nine Mile Light Rail Stations. This bus also stops on Colorado, although Bellaire may be a closer stop for people coming from the east. The 46 runs along Birch Street. Be careful, though. The last buses for this route come within the half hour after the meeting ends.

Comments can also be submitted online until November 8 at I-70 Mountain Corridor Contact Form.