More Lanes & Other Roadway Improvements.

While improving the I-70 infrastructure is difficult and expensive, there are engineering solutions.   In the 2010 PEIS, CDOT outlines  a plan that would involve:

• More than 20 interchange improvements
• 25 miles of additional auxiliary lanes
• New tunnel bores at the twin tunnels and the Eisenhower-Johnson memorial tunnels.
• Truck operations improvements, such as chain-up stations.
  
  

CDOT also points out that there are other alternatives to encourage changes in travel patterns without expensive highway construction.  Logically these alternatives need to be investigated and even tried prior to extensive enhancement of the infrastructure.

I-70 Speed Harmonization Begins on December 18th.

The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), in coordination with the Colorado State Patrol (CSP), Silverthorne Police Department (SPD), Clear Creek County Sheriff (CCCS), and Idaho Springs Police Department (ISPD), will begin the winter season implementation of Rolling Speed Harmonization this weekend.  It will run on eastbound Interstate 70, from Silverthorne to Floyd Hill. 

Beginning sometime between 11 a.m. and noon, on Sunday, December 18, a single SPD car will switch on its emergency lights and merge ahead of traffic, starting just east of the Silverthorne Interchange.  The police vehicle then will pace eastbound vehicles, at speeds between 45 and 55 mph, to the entrance of the Eisenhower/Johnson Memorial Tunnel (EJMT). 

The SPD then will hand-off to the CSP inside the tunnel, with the CSP pacing vehicles through the EJMT and east to Georgetown.  At that point, the CCCS will take over, pacing vehicles to Downieville, with the ISPD continuing the operation to the U.S. 6 junction, at the bottom of Floyd Hill, where eastbound I-70 expands to three lanes.  

A new pace group is expected to leave Silverthorne about every five to 10 minutes, with operations continuing along the 39-mile segment through mid-afternoon,

Implementation follows two previous tests of the program – on Saturday, August 13, from Silverthorne to the EJMT, and Sunday, September 25, from Silverthorne to Empire Junction.  Data collected from those tests indicated Rolling Speed Harmonization created more uniform vehicle speeds, helping to improve safety, reduce traffic crashes and improve traffic flow on the corridor.  It also showed very high compliance and that speed differentials were reduced, even between vehicle groupings – a key determinant since wide variations in speed lead to higher probability of accidents which, in turn, substantially increases congestion. 
     
“Given the successful tests we had earlier this year, we wanted to take this opportunity to run harmonization before the anticipated higher traffic volumes during the upcoming holidays and weekends,” said CDOT Regional Transportation Director Tony DeVito.  “Using it is a temporary measure but it’ll verify that this tool can be operated in varying road and weather conditions. We’ll continue to monitor and evaluate the program for any necessary improvements.  We’re also using it as a way to reduce the need to meter at the tunnel.”

Eastbound traffic is held or “metered” at the tunnel when vehicle volumes exceed the capacity of I-70.  When back-ups occur, CDOT stops vehicles from entering the tunnel, allowing traffic to clear, before releasing more traffic into the tunnel. 
CDOT supports the program by paying 24 off-duty officers overtime, at an approximate cost of $4,500 to $5,000.

After Sunday’s operation, CDOT resumes Rolling Speed Harmonization on Sunday, January 1.  It is scheduled to continue on Sundays or Mondays (Martin Luther King Jr. Day/President’s Day) through the 2012 ski season. 

Toll Roads

There is no plan to convert I-70 into a toll road, but the idea of controlling traffic congestion by increasing the cost of travel has been considered. The idea tends to be unpopular because the entire idea of commerce in Colorado is to encourage travel into the mountains for skiing and other recreation.  Peak Travel period tolling is also an unpopular concept in the U.S.

Interestingly enough the rising cost of fuel may have the same effect as a toll road by encouraging more car pooling and bus traffic to the ski areas.

It is also clear that stiff tolls on trucks could divert long haul traffic to I-80 in Wyoming, but that would also effectively increase the cost to move goods into Summit county and the ski areas while also increasing cost to move produce from the Western Slope to the Front Range.  While a small toll would have little impact on traffic congestion, larger tolls have large economic disincentives well beyond congestion issues.

Ban Trucks

Does it make sense to ban trucks from I-70 at peak congestion periods, particularity on ski weekends?  The evidence does not suggest that truck traffic is the root cause of I-70 congestion.  Truck traffic is also somewhat self regulating since drivers and motor carriers will try to travel the corridor during the lightest traffic periods.

Spending 3 to 4 hours in traffic is a major inconvenience to skiers, but a significant economic disincentive to the motor carrier industry.  Baning trucks would also add to the cost of goods in Summit County by increasing the transportation costs.

CMCA has opposed a ban of any nature for trucks on I-70 because of not only the consequences for trucking but its impact on other businesses as well as our overall state and national economy that depends on this vital corridor for transport of goods.

While the concept of banning trucks for certain periods on the weekend is appealing to some politicians and some of the general public, the issue is much more complex and difficult than they realize and may create a series of other problems, unanticipated consequences, associated costs, and challenges. Truck drivers must comply with hours of service requirements and taking a 3 or 4 hour timeout for a curfew, translates into delivery schedules not being met or drivers running out of hours in the middle of the mountains. Also, there is the issue of truck parking. Where do you put several hundred trucks during this proposed curfew? The state already lacks enough truck parking. Add to this the fact that this would occur in the middle of winter and drivers would be idling these vehicles, using more fuel and creating greater emissions, all at a time when we are trying to reduce both.

More importantly, will it make a difference on traffic on I-70. Truck drivers and companies already seek to avoid these peak periods. If they are out there, it is because they need to be. Based on discussions with transportation professionals, truck traffic during those peak weekend periods constitutes less than 2% of the overall traffic. The fact is that truck traffic volumes on I-70 and throughout the country were at some of the lowest levels over the past two years yet problems on I-70 in the mountains during these weekend periods got worse.

On CMCA's part we are looking to work with our members and our shippers to see how we can further realign our truck traffic to avoid these weekend periods because it may benefit all of us. At the same time though the reality is that the industry creating the congestion, the ski industry, needs to step up to the plate and implement actions to spread the ski traffic into lower traffic volume timeframes and provide incentives for public transit to those areas.

Rail - Monorail

Also called an "Advanced Guideway System", the idea is to add another mode of transit to address capacity issues. CDOT has pointed out that even a maximum highway build-out might not solve congestion problems. "Lack of capacity may lead to congestion, but improving capacity doesn't necessarily reduce congestion.  Transit addresses capacity, and highway improvements address congestion. 

The advanced guideway system, in theory, would allow easily moving larger numbers of skiers to the Summit county ski resorts and remove their vehicles from I-70.  Capacity would be greatly expanded and I-70 congestion reduced.  While studies are underway, the Advanced Guideway System suffers from significant financal issues as well as unresolved technical issues concerning operation on steep grades and snowy, icy weather.  It is unlikely to be a quick or easy fix to corridor issues.