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Gwyn Green and Ramey Johnson on Beltway Issue Reprinted from Golden Transcript No caving to regional interests on beltway As I walk door-to-door in Golden, occasionally I am asked about my thoughts regarding closing the C-470 loop – or the so-called beltway. First, let me state that I am adamantly opposed to a toll way on this portion of the highway. I could never support asking people to pay to cross their own local streets or while traveling around their own town. I have had many opportunities to speak with Golden residents and local civic leaders. Everyone acknowledges that as Golden continues to grow and considers rezoning to increase housing near Highway 93, the traffic and higher utilization of Highway 93 will increase. The issue is how to accommodate this increase without jeopardizing or harming the quality of life of current residents. Air pollution, noise levels, safety and efficiency all need to be considered. I support the Muller study that the city of Golden commissioned. It nicely balances increased traffic needs, while preserving the quality of life that makes Golden so special. Reasonable options to consider are the use of berms, building attractive walls, landscaping and/or increasing the number of curves to keep speed and noise down. Additionally, I would suggest we consider lowering the level of highways. On the east coast, highways are tunneled without ‘tops’, and the vegetation grows along the walls in a pleasing fashion. And, if money were not a concern, tunneling large portions also would be a desirable alternative. I have found Golden residents to be reasonable and willing to find honest solutions. But they will not allow Golden to become a conduit for regional traffic. When super highways are forged through the heart of residential communities, we are all losers. This type of negative impact is what happened to Globeville when Interstate 70 was rammed through it. It split the town in half, and many years later, it has not recovered. I believe Golden is a model community committed to unity and cohesiveness – basically why the people and culture are so admired. It’s a special town and should not be sacrificed for outside agendas or regional pressures. I always strive to find win-win solutions for controversial issues; that means listening and working with the people directly impacted by the decisions. My pledge to the Golden community: I’m listening, and I will work to resolve this issue in a way that is positive for the residents. From: Gwyn Green Golden And Fairmount Do Not Need A Beltway, But Good Transportation Solutions Golden and Fairmount are small communities, understandably proud of their own distinctive community character. For the past ten years, they have been at risk of having an unnecessary toll road or beltway through their communities. Why do I say unnecessary? Well, the Governor and CDOT have proposed a toll road or beltway through both Golden and Fairmount, even though it would only serve 10% of the traffic in the Northwest Quadrant and cost over $ 1 billion dollars. I ran for Golden City Council based upon my belief that Arvada and Jefferson County would continue to press for a unnecessary beltway, which had been their dream for over a decade. I won because I had a plan: have a good attorney (which Golden had), hire a PR firm and a good lobbyist – both of which Golden did, under my advocacy. Furthermore, once on Council, I began advocating for Golden’s implementation of the state 1041 law. This was implemented during my tenure. When CDOT began its skewed meetings on the proposed beltway, I attended the Corridor Consensus Committee and Technical Support Meetings, missing only one while I was on Council. I continued to challenge them on such things as changing the Purpose And Need from congestion relief to closing the beltway loop. I believe in sound transportation solutions. This certainly does not apply to a beltway, which will not address congestion in the Northwest Quadrant – which is mainly to the east of SH-93. It would only serve to create a very narrow economic development opportunity for a very narrow area of SH-93. In return, it would destroy the community character and air quality of Fairmount and Golden. As a member of the House Transportation Committee, I am proposing legislation for next session to establish a Blue Ribbon Transportation Panel to look at multimodal transportation needs and revenues. When transportation money is so tight, it makes no sense that we continue to have our bridges falling apart and our roads going without adequate maintenance, and yet to look at spending over $1 billion on a vanity beltway. Furthermore, this panel would give the legislature information about the best priorities for our transportation dollars, including necessary safety and maintenance. Another proposal of mine is an Independent Oversight Board on Toll Roads. This is especially necessary with the pending sale of the Northwest Parkway to private investors. Because I have been passionate about fighting for small communities like Golden and Fairmount against big monoliths like the Colorado Transportation Department, I am known as “one tough Granny.” I have fought the big money interests at the Capitol on this issue. I will continue to work for good transportation solutions for the state, which respects and enhances communities like ours, and work against wasting our money on something like a massive toll road or beltway through Golden. |
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The following organizations endorse CINQ’s position: Colorado Environmental Coalition, Plan Jeffco, Friends of the Foothills, former Colorado Gov. Dick Lamm, Canyon Area Residents for the Environment (CARE), Blue Mountain Land & Homeowners Association, Apple Meadows Homeowners Association, Village at Mountain Ridge Homeowners Association, Meadow Run Homeowners Association, and Harmony Village Community Association. |