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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NW Corridor Toll White Paper (Microsoft Word) For more information, contact: Golden Praises CDOT for Ending Northwest Corridor EIS Golden, Colo. — June 9, 2008 — The City of Golden praised the release of a Colorado Department of Transportation white paper today ending the Northwest Corridor Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The City said the announcement is a credit to Gov. Bill Ritter and CDOT Executive Director Russ George, who have consistently shown tremendous leadership by prioritizing the State’s pressing transportation needs with the current lack of funding, seeking a comprehensive transportation funding approach and searching for consensus solutions on transportation planning for specific projects. In September 2000, the City of Golden, along with other Jeffco cities, backed the results of a comprehensive study by 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 and remains ready to implement real transportation solutions in and through Golden and for the full length of State Highway 93.. In April 2003, then Gov. Bill Owens’ administration initiated the EIS with a predetermined outcome in mind, charging CDOT to “proceed with planning of this final beltway segment” (Denver Post “Owens: Beltway’s Missing Link on the Way” April 16, 2003). Despite a biased direction, Golden continued to participate in the EIS process in good faith in an effort to help find the best traffic solution for the region. Because of CDOT’s decision not to build the beltway with public money, beltway proponents have now crafted a scheme to seek private investors to build the toll highway instead. Arvada, Broomfield and Jefferson County created a Public Highway Authority with taxing authority and the ability to condemn private land in the hopes that they can draw private sector funding for the project. CDOT's own studies concluded that tolling this section of the beltway could not cover all of the needed improvements and that real tax dollars would be required. Worse yet, all of the studies show a toll highway will do nothing to fix congestion in Arvada or other nearby cities. Instead of collaborating on effective and cost-efficient transportation solutions, this new privatization scheme will waste precious time and resources pursuing an antiquated and flawed beltway idea. If CDOT could not find a way to make tolls cover the cost of the beltway, there’s no reason to believe a Public Highway Authority will be able to either. A privatized toll highway will only give rise to a variety of other unintended consequences, such a gridlock guarantees. “The beltway proponents have a new plan for building their toll highway. What they aren't telling anyone is that in order to attract private investment dollars, they will have to commit to keeping their roads so congested that their own residents will be forced to drive out-of-direction and pay tolls to get where they need to go,” said Golden Mayor Jacob Smith. “While we share our neighbors desire for transportation improvements in the region, Golden is committed to pursuing a better way than building a billion dollar tolled beltway.” NW Corridor Toll White Paper (Microsoft Word) |
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The following organizations endorse CINQ’s position: Colorado Environmental Coalition, Plan Jeffco, Friends of the Foothills, 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. |