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A History of Traffic Management in the Northwest Metro Area
The communities of north and west Denver have a long and impressive history of working together to find solutions to regional traffic needs. The following highlights the good work that has been done since the late 1980s to address traffic needs:
- The W-470 Authority was created by Intergovernmental Agreement in 1987. That agreement was dissolved after the defeat of the 1989 effort to impose a $10 fee on auto registrations to fund the start up costs of toll road construction.
- From 1991 - 1996, Jefferson County, Arvada, Golden and Lakewood worked together to design, fund and construct the C-470 connection to US Highway 6.
- Jefferson County joined forces with Arvada, Broomfield, Golden, Lakewood, Westminster and Wheat Ridge in 1995 to develop a County-wide transportation plan. After much discussion, any plans for a Superhighway were excluded from the plan and agreed to be addressed separately. The County-wide plan was published in 1998.
- In 1999, DRCOG, Jefferson County, Arvada, Golden Lakewood, Westminster and Wheat Ridge, teamed up to fund the Northwest Quadrant Feasibility Study (NWQFS), which concluded in September of 2000 that the Superhighway would not be the best solution to the traffic issues of the region. Instead, the study recommended a series of improvements to north/south arterials including improvements to highways 6 & 93.
- Spring 2008 – Governor Ritter and CDOT decide to pull support for a beltway toll road. As a response, Jefferson County, Arvada and Broomfield contribute $300,000 to form an authority to build a private toll road. A citizens opposition group forms in Arvada, ART – Arvadans for Responsible Transportation, email Russ Weisfield rweisfield@gmail.com.
The Beltway Battle
From The Golden Informer - January 2006
BELTWAY BATTLE BRIEFING
In September 2000, the City of Golden, along with other Jeffco cities, backed the results of a comprehensive study by renowned CH2MHill, which said the best way to handle traffic in the northwest corridor was to improve arterial roads. Golden set out making plans to improve the roads traversing its city, but rather than making plans to improve local roads, Arvada and others began making plans to build a high-speed beltway to spur more development. In April 2003, Gov. Bill Owens and CDOT announced an Environmental Impact Study would be conducted to "proceed with planning of this final beltway segment." Despite this predetermined outcome, Golden has participated in that process in good faith in an effort to help find the best traffic solution for the region. This is a timeline of where the EIS process has taken us, what is still to come and a summary of what we stand for. For more detailed information and updates, visit www.BetterTrafficSolutions.com.
SEPTEMBER 2000 - The results of the Northwest Quadrant Feasibility Study are released showing that a beltway connection is not the best solution to traffic needs in the region. This study was paid for and supported by DRCOG, Jefferson County, Lakewood, Wheat Ridge, Westminster, Arvada and Golden.
APRIL 2003 - Governor Bill Owens announces the start of $7.5 million Northwest Corridor Northwest Corridor Environmental Impact Study, paid for by the state, to "proceed with the planning of this final beltway segment." (Quote from 4-16-2003 Denver Post, 'Owens: beltway's missing link on the way.')
NOVEMBER 2003 - Based on the findings of the Northwest Quadrant Feasibility Study, Golden presents an alternative to a high-speed beltway connection. Known as the "Muller Study," the plan would make improvements to Highways 6 and 93 that would be implemented with other arterial road improvements to meet traffic needs throughout the region without compromising the quality of life in the community (see "We're for Real Traffic Solutions" below).
JANUARY 2004 - The first public meetings of the Northwest Corridor Environmental Impact Study are held. More than 100 Golden residents attended the meetings to voice their concerns.
MARCH 2004 - The Technical Study Committee of the Northwest Corridor Environmental Impact Study eliminates all options other than a highway through Golden. Officials from Boulder County, City of Boulder, Superior, Louisville and Golden voice objections.
APRIL 2004 - The second round of public meetings of the Northwest Corridor Environmental Impact Study are held. More than 300 Golden residents pack the auditorium at the Colorado School of Mines to speak out against a highway in their community. Engineer consultant Steve Holt announces that all 72 road alignment options are still under consideration and that it had been "premature" to eliminate options at the March meeting. (Quote from 4-21-2004 Golden Transcript, 'Residents uneasy after beltway forum.' )
OCTOBER 2004 - The third round of public meetings of the Northwest Corridor Environmental Impact Study are held. The 24 remaining alignment options are presented. More than 700 people attend.
The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) announces that the $7.5 million for the Northwest Corridor Environmental Impact Study has run out. Joe Jehn and Tom Norton of CDOT ask Jefferson County for an additional $2 million of taxpayer money to finish the study.
APRIL 2005 - The Northwest Corridor Environmental Impact Study announces that all potential alternatives other than a highway through Golden using Highways 6 and 93 have been eliminated.
MAY 2005 - The fourth round of public meetings round of public meetings Environmental Impact Study are held. More than 300 Golden residents attend to register their objections that the four remaining alignment alternatives all run through Golden.
AUGUST 2005 - Golden City Council adopts regulations requiring that the Colorado Department of Transportation get permission from the City of Golden before building any highways in the City.
OCTOBER 2005 - Officials from Boulder County, and the cities of Boulder, Louisville and Superior write a letter to CDOT expressing "deep concerns" about the Northwest Quadrant Environmental Impact Study, including specific concerns about open-space impacts and that improvements to existing arterial roads were not adequately considered. (Quote from 10-14-05 Denver Post, "Four governments raise concerns over beltway-link process.")
TO COME IN 2006
- CDOT will release draft Environmental Impact Statement for review
- Public input on the draft EIS will be taken
- Public participation will be needed for public hearings on draft EIS
- Golden will continue to update and notify citizens about new developments and opportunities to weigh in on this important issue
WE'RE FOR REAL TRAFFIC SOLUTIONS
Both the CH2MHill Northwest Quadrant Feasibility Study and the EIS traffic studies show that the best way to improve fraffic in the region is to improve arterial roads throughout the northwest corridor, including Golden's Highways 6 and 93. As a result, the City of Golden invested in developing its own plans for those improvements. The plan is known as the Muller Study. Key elements of the plan include widening 93 to four lanes, speed limits of no more than 55 mph, extensive noise mitigation, and a short tunnel section that would be covered by a park to avoid bi-secting our community. These improvements were arrived at after much study and public involvement and they will improve traffic in the region much more than a high-speed, 6- to 8-lane tollway through Golden. To view the Muller Plan, visit www.BetterTrafficSolutions.com or call 303-384-8132 for a copy.
See also:
- Rocky Mountain News article from Dec. 12, 2005 titled Road fight is hardy perennial
- Northwest Parkway Issues - May thru October, 2005 - A series of columns from the Speakout column in the Rocky Mountain News
- Excerpt from The Sprawl of Shame 2001 - A Report by the Colorado Sprawl Action Center - a project of CoPIRG (Colorado Public Interest Reasearch Group):
The Northwest Beltway (Jefferson County)
Sprawl Elements: While urban beltways typically are marketed as solutions to traffic congestion, it has been consistently demonstrated that they induce further congestion by providing new access to open greenfields far from urban centers, inevitably driving development patterns further to the fringe. Due to their location and size, over the long term these developments contribute to longer commutes, a worsening of air quality, increased traffic, destruction of vast tracks of open space, and increased water consumption. More than almost any other single project included in the Sprawl of Shame, the final loop of the Northwest Parkway threatens to encourage additional sprawl.
History: Despite assurances by its creators to the contrary, already constructed segments of the beltway have fostered new and sprawling developments. This final segment has been touted by the cities of Arvada and Broomfield as the best solution for regional traffic woes, though this position is directly contrary to the findings of last year’s extensive Northwest Quadrant Transportation Feasibility Study (NWQTFS). The study concluded that the $500 million dollar project would not reduce traffic in the region nearly as cheaply or efficiently as simply improving the local, existing transportation infrastructure. Since last year’s listing in the Sprawl of Shame, the city of Arvada and CDOT director Tom Norton have openly disregarded the NWQTFS study, and instead commissioned new taxpayer funded studies. Their proposed alternative includes routes over the soon-to-be Wildlife Refuge of Rocky Flats. It should also be noted that while spending the money to study and then re-study the Beltway option, Arvada has neglected to commit to even the most cursory improvements along ailing Indiana Ave, casting doubt about its ability to manage even its existing transit infrastructure, let alone a regional tollway.
Commentary: Everywhere the Denver beltway has been built it has spurred new sprawl. Along the northern reaches of E-470 you’ll see sign after sign announcing new and proposed sprawling developments popping up all along the urban fringe (for an example, see Aurora’s North East Expansion entry in this report). This entry marks the third consecutive year that this highly contested sprawl inducing highway project has appeared on the Sprawl of Shame.
See the entire report: The Sprawl of Shame 2001 (PDF)
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