I-70 is F@&KED

[fastfred]

don't know what the problem you talk about is, I just did I 70

averaged 75 + one way and 80+ the other way topping out at 90 a few times, only used my horn twice only lemmings go the wrong way at the wrong time

[summit]

http://www.9news.com/rss/story.aspx?...yssey=obinsite

Gee, what a surprise...3 semis involved. They need to close I-70 to trucks during peak hours on the weekend imo

That story is from 2010????

[Hott Butt Mud]

That story is from 2010????

History repeats itself. I guess 9News didn't need to bother changing the date.

[userA]

A true BroCore would just move to SuCo...

Or Boulder.

Carry on

or the pnw

[The SnowShow]

That story is from 2010????

Fuck I didn't even see that

Ignore, carry on ;p

[karpiel]

Last time I checked, all that "recreational traffic" was creating a significant amount of "commerce" in Colorado.

Indeed it is, and the heavy traffic, brought on by semi's or whatever other perceived issue, probably adds to that commerce in extra nights sold in hotel rooms and increased stops at restaurants and gas stations. The only harm it does is you may get home at 7 PM instead of 5 PM, if that is such a huge issue to you, avoid peak travel times, instead of dictating that others should do so for your convenience.

[Garth Bimble]

Indeed it is, and the heavy traffic, brought on by semi's or whatever other perceived issue, probably adds to that commerce in extra nights sold in hotel rooms and increased stops at restaurants and gas stations. The only harm it does is you may get home at 7 PM instead of 5 PM, if that is such a huge issue to you, avoid peak travel times, instead of dictating that others should do so for your convenience.

Karp...I can't quantify it but my guess is far more money is wasted by those sitting in traffic trying to get to/from the Front Range than is recouped by extra hotel stays and stops for coffee. It's very difficult to get to a hotel or restaurant when you are stuck in gridlock on the highway. The time wasted alone is staggering, not to mention the cost of fuel, wear and tear on vehicles, environmental damage, etc. I know all the tricks, been doing it for years...but when I leave Dillon at 1:30 on a Friday and it takes 90 minutes just to get to the tunnel, something is fucked up and I think every option should be considered to try and alleviate it.

I'm curious...are you a truck driver?

[karpiel]

Karp...I can't quantify it but my guess is far more money is wasted by those sitting in traffic trying to get to/from the Front Range than is recouped by extra hotel stays and stops for coffee. It's very difficult to get to a hotel or restaurant when you are stuck in gridlock on the highway. The time wasted alone is staggering, not to mention the cost of fuel, wear and tear on vehicles, environmental damage, etc. I know all the tricks, been doing it for years...but when I leave Dillon at 1:30 on a Friday and it takes 90 minutes just to get to the tunnel, something is fucked up and I think every option should be considered to try and alleviate it.

I'm curious...are you a truck driver?

Not a semi driver, nor do I know anyone who currently is.

I guess it depends on your perspective when it comes to the money involved with traffic. Money wasted by them is money that potentially benefits my community.

I agree that something very much NEEDS to be done, but I personally don't feel restrictions or increased lane capacity is the answer. I feel the root of the problem is lack of driver training and sub par equipment. My sisters driving test consisted of driving around a block, after that she could hop in any car with bald tires and drive I-70 in a blizzard if she wanted to, which is complete bullshit.

Most of the congestion I have experienced is purely from lack of driver ability, followed by unsuitable equipment. I know this is the USA, but it's really a public safety issue.

I won't lie and say I know all the answers, but I don't think restricting truck traffic is a solution. Personally, I think stricter regulations on drivers licenses and vehicles is a good start, but the only way that could work is with a viable public transportation system.

[TagoMago]

I won't lie and say I know all the answers, but I don't think restricting truck traffic is a solution. Personally, I think stricter regulations on drivers licenses and vehicles is a good start, but the only way that could work is with a viable public transportation system.

I would happily give up the freedom of having my own transport if public transit to the mountains was a viable option. The obvious ways of getting around the I-70 clusterfuck (weekdays, leaving before dawn, moving to Montana, not going to Summit at all etc.) are great for those who can, but for those who cannot, it's a pretty demoralizing situation. From my observations over many years of sitting in traffic up there, the main culprits (in concert with a totally unreasonable volume of vehicles) are the tunnel entrances. Without fail, no matter how few cars there are on the road, people tap their brakes before entering the Idaho Springs and Eisenhower tunnels. Especially at Idaho Springs. And a small handful of brake taps from anxious drivers causes some kind of fucked up chain reaction leading to traffic backing up for miles in each direction. It's like clockwork. As long as the state is only going to commit to stopgap "fixes" like patrol car pacing and such, they should install super bright lighting at the entrances to the tunnels to soothe the anxieties of drivers and keep them from braking suddenly for no good goddamn reason. Then they should build a train line with monies from marijuana sales.

[karpiel]

I would happily give up the freedom of having my own transport if public transit to the mountains was a viable option. The obvious ways of getting around the I-70 clusterfuck (weekdays, leaving before dawn, moving to Montana, not going to Summit at all etc.) are great for those who can, but for those who cannot, it's a pretty demoralizing situation. From my observations over many years of sitting in traffic up there, the main culprits (in concert with a totally unreasonable volume of vehicles) are the tunnel entrances. Without fail, no matter how few cars there are on the road, people tap their brakes before entering the Idaho Springs and Eisenhower tunnels. Especially at Idaho Springs. And a small handful of brake taps from anxious drivers causes some kind of fucked up chain reaction leading to traffic backing up for miles in each direction. It's like clockwork. As long as the state is only going to commit to stopgap "fixes" like patrol car pacing and such, they should install super bright lighting at the entrances to the tunnels to soothe the anxieties of drivers and keep them from braking suddenly for no good goddamn reason. Then they should build a train line with monies from marijuana sales.

That's exactly what I have observed. Part of why I feel the current tunnel project is moronic. One idea I had was lights that "travel" down the tunnel at the speed limit, came to me driving through a construction zone at night, I felt compelled to travel at the speed the lights were strobing down the road.

[WTF is dat]

And this 2 billion dollar train line will terminate where? Silverthorne? Vail? People are expected to rent a car in dillon if they need to get to keystone or breck or abasin? What are tourists going to do with their shittons of luggage and ski gear? Take a train from dia that requires a transfer at union station then take a train to silverthorne where they take a bus to keystone all while carrying ski gear and luggage? How much will train tickets be? Will there ever be enough money to even build this pipedream bullshit i70 train everyone always talks about?

[hatchgreenchile]

And this 2 billion dollar train line will terminate where? Silverthorne? Vail? People are expected to rent a car in dillon if they need to get to keystone or breck or abasin?

Here's my solution. Two reversible lanes from Golden to Vail. That way you've got 4 lanes going W or E depending on predictable traffic patterns. The two new lanes are only available for vehicles with 4+ people and mass transit. If you meet neither criteria, you pay a toll. Not enough space in Straight Creek or Clear Creek Canyons for 2 more lanes? Find a new route or stack the highway vertically in the cramped quarters. Start up a rapid bus transit from Golden to Dillon and Vail Valley. No stops. No detours through Idaho Springs or Georgetown. Hop on an expanded Summit Stage to any of the resorts in Eagle or Summit and you're good to go.

It wouldn't be for the tourists flying in to DIA. They're not the root cause of traffic problems. It's the weekend warriors from the 4 million people along the Front Range jamming themselves into 2 lanes every Saturday and Sunday.

Fuck the train idea. The terrain is way too rugged. You could build a train, but unless it is cheap AND fast, nobody will take it, and I have a hard time believing a train could be build through the Rockies that goes 100 mph+. Build more lanes..

[The SnowShow]

What about building another viable route to summit? Make 285 a real 4 lane (total) highway all the way to South Park then one spur that goes to the south end of Breck and another spur that heads towards Leadville and north to rejoin 70 at Copper...agree the train concept just doesn't work for many reasons

[guroo270]

Last time I checked, all that "recreational traffic" was creating a significant amount of "commerce" in Colorado.

It is still an asinine, extremely uninformed statement - not to mention the fact that he seemed to ignore the 17 other cars that were involved. The truckers are not the problem. They can ford those roads when everyone else should stay home.

Edit - Definitely got a chuckle when I saw it was from 2010.

What about building another viable route to summit? Make 285 a real 4 lane (total) highway all the way to South Park then one spur that goes to the south end of Breck and another spur that heads towards Leadville and north to rejoin 70 at Copper...agree the train concept just doesn't work for many reasons

Moving to the PNW sounds easier. Getting first tracks on Sunday and getting a couple hours in before you head home at 11AM sounds even easier.

[Name Redacted]

I'm sure the I-70 coalition is following this thread closely to find the solution to all their problems

[fastfred]

blame the politicians for the i70 problems

basic improvements, upgrades, maintenance is non existent, instead they throw ideas like a train, or privatization of the road, or some other line of bs. I 70 was built with 1950's engineering its time to bring the road up to the 21st century.

the twin tunnel project is about 20 years too late, other basic upgrades to help move traffic are turning it into a 6 lane highway. Rebuilding the entrance ramp I-70 east bound at empire/winter park. adding a third lane to georgeown hill for trucks and rvs. Rebuilding the bridge and highway at the bottom of floyd hill/kermits. But since we have politicians who can't see the future for the mountains then were stuck with the highway we have.

Instead of fixing the potholes and repaving the highway the state spends millions of studies so they can justify spending billions on a train to now where, that no one is going to ride. Look at the mess RTD has created in denver by trying to build light rail. It's costing 4 times as much as they originally said, they are already 20 years behind schedule. Imagine these same idiots claiming they can build a train to vail, keystone, etc..................

[BDKeg]

https://www.google.com/publicdata/ex...o%20population

This is why i-70 sucks, about a million new people living in the state since 2000 and the 4th fastest growing state. It will only get worse as the population growth accelerates. There's really no money for a train or large scale lane widening project on i70.

[TagoMago]

The terrain is too rugged? The Euros don't seem to have had a problem building rail lines all over the alps, so that argument doesn't really hold. And how about everywhere else in the inhabited world where trains are still a major means of transport? Widening the road etc. might help after many many years of horrible construction traffic, but ultimately only feeds the beast that created this problem in the first place, which is our unique, self-defeating mentality that every single person needs to drive a car to get from point A to point B. Would creating some sort of efficient mass transit system through the mountains (or anywhere outside of nyc, for that matter) present some significant engineering and logistical challenges? Absolutely. Does that make it a stupid idea? No. It's myopic to think that the solution to the problem is just to let more cars through.

I do like the idea of charging a toll for any cars that don't have X number of people in them, and maybe some sort of shuttle bus system could be developed. Of course who would want to pay for and sit on a shuttle in traffic when you could do the same thing in your own car...

[The SnowShow]

Gotta stop the population increase...Colorado freaking sucks people, I hear Idaho is the shit.

Seriously though, if the I-70 problem is fixed or improved, then more people will ski/ride and then the mtns will be even more crowded. There is a large segment of Front Range population who has given up on weekend skiing in Summit....this segment would likely return if the highway was improved, and then the whole situation gets worse.

Maybe add a few state funded ski areas to the north or south - other destinations that are as close as Summit but spread the people out? Something near Estes Park?

[hatchgreenchile]

The terrain is too rugged? The Euros don't seem to have had a problem building rail lines all over the alps, so that argument doesn't really hold. And how about everywhere else in the inhabited world where trains are still a major means of transport? Widening the road etc. might help after many many years of horrible construction traffic, but ultimately only feeds the beast that created this problem in the first place, which is our unique, self-defeating mentality that every single person needs to drive a car to get from point A to point B. Would creating some sort of efficient mass transit system through the mountains (or anywhere outside of nyc, for that matter) present some significant engineering and logistical challenges? Absolutely. Does that make it a stupid idea? No. It's myopic to think that the solution to the problem is just to let more cars through.

I do like the idea of charging a toll for any cars that don't have X number of people in them, and maybe some sort of shuttle bus system could be developed. Of course who would want to pay for and sit on a shuttle in traffic when you could do the same thing in your own car...

Yep, too rugged. Not too many railways in the world climb and descend roughly 9000 feet in 60 miles.

The only way that a train would work is if it were faster and/or cheaper. With that type of terrain, you simply can’t build a train that would go fast enough over those grades/curvatures that would make it worth the price tag. Do you really think they can build something that could get over 90 MPH through that corridor? I doubt it.

A bus transit route from Golden to Dillon wouldn’t cost $15 billion, would take 60 minutes, and wouldn’t cost an $40 for a one way ticket either. Sounds better than a train to me.

[concretejungle]

Raise season pass prices.

[BDKeg]

Gotta stop the population increase...Colorado freaking sucks people, I hear Idaho is the shit.

Maybe add a few state funded ski areas to the north or south - other destinations that are as close as Summit but spread the people out? Something near Estes Park?

I could see a loveland/abasin type ski area up at cameron pass. The snow quality is good and there is a large population within 2 hrs (fort collins/loveland, boulder, greeley, cheyenne, laramie). Can't blame people for moving here, but it's changed so much in the last 5-10 yrs (mostly the front range). Colorado = the new Kalifornia

[hatchgreenchile]

Raise season pass prices.

Not their responsibility to deal with federal infrastructure problems.

Plus, CDOT can’t walk into Rob Katz’s office and demand Vail start jacking prices. It doesn’t work that way.

[concretejungle]

Not their responsibility to deal with federal infrastructure problems.

Plus, CDOT can’t walk into Rob Katz’s office and demand Vail start jacking prices. It doesn’t work that way.

So you don't want the easiest option? It's their problem whether they like it or not since they're the reason you city folk have to leave at 4 am or quit skiing at 11 to get home. Increased season pass prices are the best and cheapest option. Skiing shouldn't and isn't a cheap hobby.

Did I say CDOT should do that? It's not their problem either. The road is fine about 95% of the time maybe more.

[Sicbith]

Yea, lets close the interstate highway to people using it for commerce, so the recreational traffic doesn't suffer when some dumb ass wrecks and a couple semi trucks can't stop in time to avoid the pileup.


You could talk about the need for Jesus to abort gay fetuses because the Nazi liberals are trying to elect Chris Dorner as the new Pope, and you would sound more logical.

You don't drive I-70 much eh.... it's the semis trying to sneak up to the tunnel and over vail pass without chains that F the road up. You put one semi who is trying to keep up his speed over the hill passing another semi in the right lane and an entire new shitshow goes down. They should close semi traffic from 6am - 10am and 3pm - 7pm on weekends.