Comments on the plans for I-70.

It looks like the plan for I-70 is to build a monorail/maglev on a raised track from Eagle County Airport In Gypsum near Glenwood Springs to the intersection of I-70 and C-470 in Morrison and to widen sections of the highway and some highway intersections. No mention of buses. No mention of possible ways to get people out of the I-70 corridor.

At the public meeting that I attended, fourteen peoplespoke. A majority spoke in favor of improved bus service. I believe only two people supported widening the road in any section.

I am concerned that the raised structure that will be carrying the monorail/maglev is being referred to as an "Advanced Guideway System" when in fact there is nothing inherently advanced it.

Here is the comment that I submitted to the I-70 team:

I am concerned that the rail portion of the I-70 project is being designed for looks rather than usability or even modernity. What makes a train modern is not necessarily the track (rail on steel vs. maglev). A modern train has modern signals. A modern train has a modern dispatch system. A modern train has operators, both on the train, and in the operations offices, who are both well-trained and well-paid. In the last ten years, we have seen new kinds of engines and new kinds of wheels. There are trains that look exactly like the trains of fifty years ago that are wonders of modern engineering. And there are trains that look very modern that in fact don’t work very well and are in fact quite primitive.

As rail systems across the USA are being modernized, Colorado is falling behind. People in Colorado are still being forced to drive as train ridership across the country increases every year. We need a rail system that connects into the nation’s system, and we need a system that serves Colorado’s citizens.

Today is the last day to submit comments.