Rocky Mountain News
September 20, 2006
Letters to the Editor
Parkway funds spent in wrong direction
It is correct that part of the Northwest Parkway problem is "slower than expected growth in the area it serves" ("Parkway in a bind," Sept. 2). Completing the "high-speed beltway" "through Golden to C-470" would not significantly increase traffic on the parkway. Why? Because it is a false assumption that the majority of drivers coming off the parkway are headed for Colorado 470 in Golden. In fact, if their destinations are farther south than Broomfield, they are heading through Arvada to the high-density commercial area along Wadsworth Boulevard north of Interstate 70. These traffic volumes have been measured for 2005 and projected for 2030 during the Northwest Corridor Environmental Impact Statement study.
The Denver Regional Council of Governments estimates that about 900,000 people will move into the Denver area by 2030; however, only 5 percent of that growth will be in the Northwest Corridor, generally the north half of Jefferson County. Ninety-five percent of the growth will be to the north, northeast, east, southeast, and south.
Rather than spending up to $2 billion completing the beltway where the need has never been established by any study, the money should be spent to improve mobility to the east, where growth is the greatest.
Dick Sugg
Golden
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