OFFICIAL I70 BITCH THREAD....

[The SnowShow]

I was thinking it could have been more efficient overall to reroute WB into the new EB tunnel and blast the WB tunnel back in the late summer/fall before they opened the new EB tunnel to traffic. But I really don't get why they're spending time widening 2 lanes instead of doing 3, especially if the EB came in under budget....

^^^agree, do it now, but do the 3 lanes while they're at it.

[Danno]

How is this clusterfuck planning? How could they have blasted both tunnels in one spring without rerouting all of I-70 onto the frontage road? If you remember EB was on the frontage road and WB didn't shift and utilized the existing tunnel during the entire project. They didn't do WB immediately because they didn't want to have construction during winter weather and ski traffic.

As far as the WB tunnel widening goes they are just widening the tunnel for now. Personally I think it's dumb not to add the third lane immediately, but it probably comes down to the budget. I assume there is only enough this year to widen the tunnel and not a lane. Also I'm pretty sure they were only able to widen the WB this year because the EB tunnel came in under budget and it will save them 5-7 million by doing it now since all the molds and everything are already there.

Exactly. Had they started this project immediately after the other one, I-70 would have been an even greater cluster this winter than it already was.

As for the widening, yes, doing it now saves them a lot of money. I believe that essentially they are creating the space for a 3rd lane (because we all know it's needed) but I am not sure that the reason for not creating the 3rd lane is budgetary; I think they're not actually adding it because the existing infrastructure doesn't call for it. Going from 2 lanes off of Floyd Hill, then adding a lane, then going back to 2, would not have much if any positive effect. In the future, when they can upgrade the surrounding infrastructure, this will already be there and ready.

[bean]

^^^agree, do it now, but do the 3 lanes while they're at it.

Without widening WB all the way to Empire, adding the third lane there will just make things worse for ski traffic.

[The SnowShow]

I70 at a standstill at Floyd Hill....why do I even bother?

3 jackknifed semis wtf

[hatchgreenchile]

^^ Is there a traffic issue you don’t miss ? ^^
My goodness, you couldn’t catch a break if it hit you square in the chest.

[smmokan]

When is the last time it snowed and LL Pass didn't close? In the past, I can't ever remember them closing it because of 3" and 6" "storms". Now all it takes is a dusting.

[COpow]

When is the last time it snowed and LL Pass didn't close? In the past, I can't ever remember them closing it because of 3" and 6" "storms". Now all it takes is a dusting.

Its been closing a lot this year, to be sure, but today may have something to do with the fact that the use of avalanchers has been suspended during the investigation related to the explosion on Monday.

[smmokan]

It might... but given their track record this year it probably doesn't.

[The SnowShow]

^^ Is there a traffic issue you don’t miss ? ^^
My goodness, you couldn’t catch a break if it hit you square in the chest.

Haha. Well, Loveland got my money instead of VR today and many days this year with all the hwy closures

[smitchell333]

Delays while they close the highway intermittently this week.

Tuesday, April 7 - Thursday, April 10, 8a-6p and Friday, April 11, 8a-noon, 30 min traffic stops both directions throughout the day for blasting, but delays will be up to 1 hour as traffic clears the cue.

http://www.coloradodot.info/projects/i70twintunnels

[The SnowShow]

^^ thanks for the heads up

[WTF is dat]

Anybody who is in here bitching about the fact that CDOT doesn't have enough money to do anything needs to do some research about a colorado law commonly known as TABOR. Tabor has crippled colorado's state government in so many ways, and is the reason RTD won't ever have enough money to build a train to boulder and CDOT is broke as shit

[bean]

It's not so much TABOR as it is stupid people who think gas taxes are socialism. Successful votes for higher taxes happen all the time.

[smmokan]

Anybody who is in here bitching about the fact that CDOT doesn't have enough money to do anything needs to do some research about a colorado law commonly known as TABOR. Tabor has crippled colorado's state government in so many ways, and is the reason RTD won't ever have enough money to build a train to boulder and CDOT is broke as shit

If you remember correctly, several years ago voters APPROVED a new sales tax that was supposed to pay for the entire light rail network on all sides of the Denver Metro area. Look what happened there... RTD and CDOT incorrectly priced the right-of-ways and construction costs, and now they're nowhere near completing the build. In fact, it'll never get done unless we approve another tax increase (which I'm all for, BTW). RTD and CDOT have a lower approval rating than Congress these days, and it's well-deserved.

[bean]

CDOT actually has a rather high approval rating.

[Danno]

If you remember correctly, several years ago voters APPROVED a new sales tax that was supposed to pay for the entire light rail network on all sides of the Denver Metro area. Look what happened there... RTD and CDOT incorrectly priced the right-of-ways and construction costs, and now they're nowhere near completing the build. In fact, it'll never get done unless we approve another tax increase (which I'm all for, BTW). RTD and CDOT have a lower approval rating than Congress these days, and it's well-deserved.

That vote also had incorrect revenue projections, as they were done pre-recession. Even had they priced everything correctly, we still wouldn't be there.

Regardless, while I agree with you and Bean that TABOR is not specifically/solely to blame for CDOT's or RTD's difficulties, TABOR does suck ass and causes our state an awful lot of manufactured difficulties (ie difficulties that only exist because of TABOR).

[smmokan]

I agree with that 100%. TABOR handicaps the state in many other ways outside of CDOT/RTD.

[ballackout]

How much is tomorrow afternoon's drive back to the front range going to suck?

[DasBlunt]

The new twin tunnels will be amazing…3 lanes both ways…they did that thing so fast, and clean, and pretty headache free…..for what it was.. glad they are at it again. need to wake up earlier.

Chicago, would have taken 4 years to get halfway done.

[Foggy_Goggles]

How much is tomorrow afternoon's drive back to the front range going to suck?

not. its over.

[The SnowShow]

The new twin tunnels will be amazing…3 lanes both ways…they did that thing so fast, and clean, and pretty headache free…..for what it was.. glad they are at it again. need to wake up earlier.

Chicago, would have taken 4 years to get halfway done.

Agree. In NY or Boston, it would take ten years to do that project and it would be billions over budget. They do a good job here getting highway projects done, even if it does inconvenience us skiers

[Danno]

How much is tomorrow afternoon's drive back to the front range going to suck?

I left Winter Park at 4:30 and had no issues. Unless some jackass gets into a bad accident, the winter traffic is over.

[montanaskier]

Was a mess EB and WB at the tunnel and VP according to all the CDOT texts. One buddy went to Denver from Vail in 6 hours. Lotta spin outs and crashes. We came home from WY the back way to avoid that mess.

[Dufforito]

Was a mess EB and WB at the tunnel and VP according to all the CDOT texts. One buddy went to Denver from Vail in 6 hours. Lotta spin outs and crashes. We came home from WY the back way to avoid that mess.

Got stuck in Frisco waiting for 70 to open. Once it did, not too bad, but with the exception of semis, it seems like everybody drives in the left lane. Stayed in the right lane and passed more than Manning.

[bean]

Heading eastbound, not even to Vail yet and have been sitting for half an hour. Nothing on cotrip either. Woo!