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Latest Beltway News

Public Opposition Grows Despite Vote

 

 

The City of Golden is encouraged by the growing number of people who are opposed to building a toll road in the northwest corridor.

 

Despite this strong opposition, the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) decided to include the toll road proposal by the Jefferson Parkway Public Highway Authority (JPPHA) in its regional transportation plan.  The City of Golden is disappointed by this decision but will continue to fight this toll road plan, which would expose everyone who drives Highway 93 to more traffic congestion and greater safety risks.

 

The toll road proposal still faces many hurdles.  This “toll road to nowhere” does not connect the beltway around the metro area.  Instead, it would dump an additional 38% more traffic onto Highway 93 and require hundreds of millions of dollars in surrounding road improvements, which the JPPHA does not plan to fund. 

 

In addition, the proposal accepted by the DRCOG board is flawed and goes against the standards its members are required to follow.  Under federal law, the DRCOG has an obligation to prepare a regional transportation plan which includes projects that meet two important standards: fiscal constraint (must prove there are sufficient funds to make a project happen) and air quality.  The DRCOG’s decision does not meet this critical legal requirement.

 

The JPPHA’s proposal claims vastly higher traffic numbers for calculating whether it meets the fiscal standards than it shows for purposes of calculating air quality.  The traffic numbers used for the fiscal test are three to nine times higher than the traffic numbers used to support the air quality claims.  This allows the JPPHA to show that there will be enough toll revenue while still complying with environmental regulations.  But the numbers do not add up and the JPPHA and DRCOG cannot have it both ways.

 

The City’s position is strengthened by the growing number of people who realize the implications of a toll road and oppose it.  Of the 350 public comments submitted to DRCOG, 219 opposed the Jefferson Parkway, 130 supported it, and one was neutral.  That translates into 63 percent of comments against the toll road and only 37 percent in favor of it.

 

That feedback reflects the same public sentiment that led to the resounding defeat of a ballot measure to fund a toll road in 1989.

 

“The proposed toll road doesn’t connect anything,” said Golden Public Works Director Dan Hartman. “In fact, by the JPPHA’s own analysis, it makes congestion and safety on Highway 93 even worse than it already is.”

 

 

The City of Golden and its Council will work with our neighbors to decide the next logical step.  “Golden can support a reasonable solution that ensures the protection of our neighborhoods and our community and benefits everyone,” said Golden Mayor Jacob Smith.  “The current JPPHA proposal doesn’t do that.”

 

Boulder County, the City of Boulder, the Town of Superior and the City of Golden have proposed making much-needed improvements to Highway 93 and U.S. 6 between C-470 and Boulder, as an alternative to the Jefferson Parkway.  For more information on the alternatives, visit fix93.org.

 

 

 

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Older News Stories:

 

63% oppose including Jefferson Parkway in area transportation plan

 219 against, 130 support “toll road to nowhere” in public input process

 

Members of the public have spoken and they don’t like the Jefferson Parkway.

 

The Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) this month took public comment about whether the toll road should be included in its regional transportation plan.  Of the 350 comments, 219 opposed the Jefferson Parkway, 130 supported it and one was neutral.  That translates into 63 percent of comments against the toll road and 37 percent in favor of it.

 

“It’s a landslide against the Jefferson Parkway,” said Golden Mayor Jacob Smith.  “It reflects the same public sentiment that led to the resounding defeat of a ballot measure to fund the toll road in 1989.  Two decades later, residents feel the same way. Despite an intensive effort by toll road backers to drum up support this year, it’s clear that people simply don’t support the Jefferson Parkway.”

 

The comments to DRCOG came at a Dec. 16, 2009 public hearing and in writing. This week, DRCOG provided a summary of all the comments.  Speakers at the meeting highlighted the fact that the proposed Jefferson Parkway falls miles – and hundreds of millions of dollars – short of its proponents’ goal of completing the beltway.  In fact, the Jefferson Parkway would actually worsen congestion on Highway 93.

 

The Denver Post reported on the DRCOG meeting and noted in an article that Boulder County Commissioner Will Toor “said the parkway will not complete a beltway around metro Denver, as proponents suggest, but instead construct a ‘disconnected’ roadway that fails to link with the Boulder Turnpike on the north or C-470 on the south.”

 

“Those who advocate for a beltway are fooling themselves if they think the Jefferson Parkway is the solution,” said Golden Public Works Director Dan Hartman.  “This proposed toll road wouldn’t connect or finish the beltway around the metro area.  .  In fact, the toll road plan would require hundreds of millions and as much as a billion dollars of taxpayer-funded improvements on surrounding roads.”

 

Boulder County, the City of Boulder, the Town of Superior and the City of Golden have proposed making much-needed improvements to Highway 93 as an alternative to the Jefferson Parkway. 

 

DRCOG will vote on whether or not to include the Jefferson Parkway to its fiscally constrained regional transportation plan on Jan. 20, 2010.

 

Inclusion in this DRCOG plan is no guarantee that the Jefferson Parkway toll road will get built and its backers still would have other significant hurdles to jump.

 

However, the toll road would suffer a huge setback if it’s not included in the DRCOG plan.  As one proponent of the beltway extension told the Denver Business Journal: “We absolutely have to have that approval.”

 

Golden believes the Jefferson Parkway proposal is misguided because it would:

  • Prompt sprawl that would mar the mountain backdrop.
  • Worsen traffic on surrounding roads, including S.H. 93.

 

The City of Boulder, Boulder County and Golden recently unveiled a plan that offers a smarter plan to address traffic in the region. It will make much-needed improvements to S.H. 93 and U.S. 6.

 

S.H. 93 is a critical corridor yet it is frequently congested and always dangerous. Our plan will increase S.H. 93’s safety and capacity, while abating problems caused by snow, wind and wildlife. It also will add separated bike lanes while enhancing trails and connecting recreation areas.  For more information, go to fix93.org.

 

 

 




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