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[usends]

http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_20526487/plan-i-70-viaduct-calls-dropping-road-below?nstrack=sid:2853292

[Milepost61]

My first choice would be they go with the option that relocates to the north around the neighborhood along I-270. The sticky point with that one is it would slice right through the National Western Complex, but now there's a possibility the Stock Show might relocate, so it could be the opportunity CDOT needs to do the rerouting. Getting it completely out of the neighborhood seems like the best idea.

Barring that, depressing it would be a logical second choice. Doesn't have the intrusion an elevated viaduct has.

Either way, they do something by 2018 or risk closing I-70 due to the viaduct's deplorable condition.

[andy3175]

Resurrecting an old thread, planning has continued on the "I-70 East" project, focusing on the elevated segment just east of the I-25 interchange (the Mousetrap). Community meetings have been underway through the fall.

The project now has its own webpage: http://i-70east.com/. Some interesting excerpts from http://i-70east.com/project-overview.html include a brief history of the segment of I-70 under study:

Planning for I-70 started nearly 60 years ago. As part of the recommendation for the “Valley Highway,” now known as I-25, it was determined that Denver's major east-west thoroughfare should be located along 46th Avenue to the east of I-25 and 48th Avenue to the west. In 1947, Denver formally requested that the 46th/48th Avenue corridor be designated as a State Highway from Sheridan Boulevard to Colorado Boulevard. Detailed studies and design efforts continued in the 1950s and 1960s, and I-70 construction was completed in 1964. ...

In July 2003, CDOT and Denver's Regional Transportation District (RTD) began a joint study effort called the I-70 East Corridor Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). ... The purpose of the I-70 East Corridor EIS was to improve transportation along the I-70 highway corridor from I-25 to Tower Road and to explore potential rapid transit options from Downtown Denver to Denver International Airport.

In June 2006, the highway and transit elements of the I-70 East Corridor were separated into two independent projects, reflecting that they serve different travel markets, are located in different corridors, and have different funding sources. The intent of the separated highway environmental study, the I-70 East EIS, is to identify highway improvements along I-70 between I-25 and Tower Road that would improve safety, access, and mobility and address congestion. The transit study, the East Corridor EIS, is focusing on transit improvements between downtown Denver and Denver International Airport. Additional information on the East Corridor EIS can be found at: www.rtd-fastracks.com/ec_1.

In 2008, a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) was released, analyzing four alternatives, two on the existing alignment and two realignment alternatives (2008 DEIS Alternatives). No preferred alternative was identified in the DEIS. ...

Due to a lack of strong support for any of the 2008 DEIS alternatives, CDOT and FHWA initiated a collaborative process to identify a preferred alternative. The Preferred Alternative Collaborative Team (PACT) was formed in July 2010, consisting of a group of stakeholders representing federal and state agencies, local governments, and community and business interests. After extensive deliberations—including two corridor-wide meetings—the PACT did not reach consensus on a preferred alternative. ...

(T)he 2008 Draft EIS alternatives were modified and a new alternative option was developed that better met the project's purpose, need, goals, and objectives and satisfied the public's and agencies' expectations. The project team then worked with the community and interested stakeholders along the corridor to further analyze the alternatives and develop a preferred alternative. ...

The I-70 East Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) has an anticipated release date of Spring 2014. A public comment period will follow this release.

Also interesting is that the alternative to reroute I-70 along I-270 and I-76 was removed as an alternative as part of the SDEIS process:

Recently, there have been many questions about whether CDOT is evaluating an alternative that would realign I-70 around Denver using Interstates 270 and 76. This alternative was eliminated from consideration early in the project process, as documented in the Draft EIS (DEIS).

The preliminary approved alternative, at least prior to issuance of the SDEIS, is (according to http://i-70east.com/alternatives.html):

The project team has preliminarily identified the Partial Cover Lowered Alternative as the I-70 East project's preferred alternative. The City of Denver champions this choice of location because of the important role I-70 plays in supporting commerce and providing redundancy in our transportation system in the case of major incidents. This position is shared by the Downtown Denver Partnership and the Denver Chamber of Commerce, as well as Adams County and Commerce City.

The Partial Cover Lowered Alternative was developed in response to the lack of strong public support for the alternatives proposed in the 2008 Draft Environmental Impact Statement. This Alternative adds additional lanes in each direction of the highway to provide better mobility between I-25 and Tower Road, removes the existing viaduct between Brighton Boulevard and Colorado Boulevard, rebuilds I-70 along this segment below grade on the existing alignment, and places a cover on the highway between Columbine Street and Clayton Street next to Swansea Elementary School. The preferred alternative will be constructed with a 75- to 100-year life expectancy.

More about the particulars of the partial cover lowered alternative is also found on the webpage.

Regards,
Andy

[Henry]

So another Big Dig may be in the works? Interesting.

[Duke87]

Also interesting is that the alternative to reroute I-70 along I-270 and I-76 was removed as an alternative as part of the SDEIS process

Good. Sane heads prevailed here.

Putting the freeway below grade and decking a bit of it over will reduce its impact on the neighborhood while maintaining its ability to carry traffic. This is the right solution.

[andy3175]

Discussion continues about the reconstruction of this stretch of highway as evidenced in recent news reports...

http://www.denverpost.com/News/Local/ci_26841352/Swansea-parents-worry-how-CDOT-plan-for-I70-will-impact-neighborhood

They worry that a Colorado Department of Transportation proposal to widen and add a toll to I-70 will lead to dust, dirt and traffic problems during construction. They fear the good reconstruction jobs will go to people not connected to the neighborhood and that the 500-enrollment Swansea will be shuttered and their kids bused elsewhere. Once I-70 is rebuilt, the parents also fret that high housing and rental rates will follow, forcing them from an area where they've lived in most of their lives. But while CDOT's plans make them nervous, parents are also suspicious of a push to remove I-70 entirely from their backyards and put it instead in an alignment near I-270 and I-76. They like the idea of getting rid of the viaduct in favor of an underground highway with a park covering it. The new alignment proposal is being pushed by a group with no ties to the Swansea area and few concerns about the well-being of residents, say the parents. ... Critics have blasted the CDOT plan, saying it will lead to environmental disaster. They point to a recent report from the American Planning Association that says CDOT is moving ahead based on flawed, out-dated data while ignoring social and economic justice issues. The parents agree the viaduct is hazardous, saying rocks and bits of concrete have fallen on them or their children. Its pillars also make driving confusing. They unanimously favor the cap over the highway, which will connect them to other parts of Denver.

http://www.denverpost.com/News/ci_26977774/CDOTs-I70-east-plan-attracts-900-comments-as-process-continues

The Colorado Department of Transportation received more than 900 comments about its $1.8 billion plan to add tolls to Interstate 70 in northeast Denver and run a portion of the highway below grade. The comments were recorded as part of an environmental study of the project over a 45-day period that ended on Oct. 31. On Thursday, CDOT officials made all comments available on i-70east.com, its project website. That move is unprecedented, said CDOT executive director Don Hunt.

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_27029775/i-70-widening-plans-attract-fire-from-denver

Metro-area faith leaders say a $1.8 billion plan to widen a portion of Interstate 70 in northeast Denver should be scuttled because it is a public health threat and will break up low-income families in the area. A group of faith organizations, led by members of the Iliff School of Theology, outlined their concerns with the I-70 proposal in an October letter to Don Hunt, executive director of the Colorado Department of Transportation. The letter is now on a Change.org petition. The faith group hopes that CDOT will either drop its I-70 plan or alter it to better suit the homes and businesses in the Swansea and Elyria neighborhoods. ...

CDOT's plan calls for destroying I-70's decaying, 50-year-old viaduct between Brighton and Colorado boulevards and to place the highway below grade. CDOT wants to add two toll lanes in each direction between I-25 and Tower Road and put a nearly four-acre, landscaped cover over the highway by Swansea Elementary. Plans to improve I-70 have been discussed and studied for nearly 10 years and CDOT studied about 90 proposals before settling on the so-called "Partial Cover Lowered Alternative."

[thenetwork]

Discussion continues about the reconstruction of this stretch of highway as evidenced in recent news reports...

http://www.denverpost.com/News/Local/ci_26841352/Swansea-parents-worry-how-CDOT-plan-for-I70-will-impact-neighborhood

They worry that a Colorado Department of Transportation proposal to widen and add a toll to I-70 will lead to dust, dirt and traffic problems during construction. They fear the good reconstruction jobs will go to people not connected to the neighborhood and that the 500-enrollment Swansea will be shuttered and their kids bused elsewhere. Once I-70 is rebuilt, the parents also fret that high housing and rental rates will follow, forcing them from an area where they've lived in most of their lives. But while CDOT's plans make them nervous, parents are also suspicious of a push to remove I-70 entirely from their backyards and put it instead in an alignment near I-270 and I-76. They like the idea of getting rid of the viaduct in favor of an underground highway with a park covering it. The new alignment proposal is being pushed by a group with no ties to the Swansea area and few concerns about the well-being of residents, say the parents. ... Critics have blasted the CDOT plan, saying it will lead to environmental disaster. They point to a recent report from the American Planning Association that says CDOT is moving ahead based on flawed, out-dated data while ignoring social and economic justice issues. The parents agree the viaduct is hazardous, saying rocks and bits of concrete have fallen on them or their children. Its pillars also make driving confusing. They unanimously favor the cap over the highway, which will connect them to other parts of Denver.

http://www.denverpost.com/News/ci_26977774/CDOTs-I70-east-plan-attracts-900-comments-as-process-continues

The Colorado Department of Transportation received more than 900 comments about its $1.8 billion plan to add tolls to Interstate 70 in northeast Denver and run a portion of the highway below grade. The comments were recorded as part of an environmental study of the project over a 45-day period that ended on Oct. 31. On Thursday, CDOT officials made all comments available on i-70east.com, its project website. That move is unprecedented, said CDOT executive director Don Hunt.

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_27029775/i-70-widening-plans-attract-fire-from-denver

Metro-area faith leaders say a $1.8 billion plan to widen a portion of Interstate 70 in northeast Denver should be scuttled because it is a public health threat and will break up low-income families in the area. A group of faith organizations, led by members of the Iliff School of Theology, outlined their concerns with the I-70 proposal in an October letter to Don Hunt, executive director of the Colorado Department of Transportation. The letter is now on a Change.org petition. The faith group hopes that CDOT will either drop its I-70 plan or alter it to better suit the homes and businesses in the Swansea and Elyria neighborhoods. ...

CDOT's plan calls for destroying I-70's decaying, 50-year-old viaduct between Brighton and Colorado boulevards and to place the highway below grade. CDOT wants to add two toll lanes in each direction between I-25 and Tower Road and put a nearly four-acre, landscaped cover over the highway by Swansea Elementary. Plans to improve I-70 have been discussed and studied for nearly 10 years and CDOT studied about 90 proposals before settling on the so-called "Partial Cover Lowered Alternative."

So, in other words, they bitch about how dangerous the I-70 viaduct is currently due to it's age, they'll bitch that a replacement is bad for them, and they'll bitch if I-70 is completely taken away from their neighborhood. 

I have a box of rocks sitting behind my shed with more intelligence than those people.

[iBallasticwolf2]

Discussion continues about the reconstruction of this stretch of highway as evidenced in recent news reports...

http://www.denverpost.com/News/Local/ci_26841352/Swansea-parents-worry-how-CDOT-plan-for-I70-will-impact-neighborhood

They worry that a Colorado Department of Transportation proposal to widen and add a toll to I-70 will lead to dust, dirt and traffic problems during construction. They fear the good reconstruction jobs will go to people not connected to the neighborhood and that the 500-enrollment Swansea will be shuttered and their kids bused elsewhere. Once I-70 is rebuilt, the parents also fret that high housing and rental rates will follow, forcing them from an area where they've lived in most of their lives. But while CDOT's plans make them nervous, parents are also suspicious of a push to remove I-70 entirely from their backyards and put it instead in an alignment near I-270 and I-76. They like the idea of getting rid of the viaduct in favor of an underground highway with a park covering it. The new alignment proposal is being pushed by a group with no ties to the Swansea area and few concerns about the well-being of residents, say the parents. ... Critics have blasted the CDOT plan, saying it will lead to environmental disaster. They point to a recent report from the American Planning Association that says CDOT is moving ahead based on flawed, out-dated data while ignoring social and economic justice issues. The parents agree the viaduct is hazardous, saying rocks and bits of concrete have fallen on them or their children. Its pillars also make driving confusing. They unanimously favor the cap over the highway, which will connect them to other parts of Denver.

http://www.denverpost.com/News/ci_26977774/CDOTs-I70-east-plan-attracts-900-comments-as-process-continues

The Colorado Department of Transportation received more than 900 comments about its $1.8 billion plan to add tolls to Interstate 70 in northeast Denver and run a portion of the highway below grade. The comments were recorded as part of an environmental study of the project over a 45-day period that ended on Oct. 31. On Thursday, CDOT officials made all comments available on i-70east.com, its project website. That move is unprecedented, said CDOT executive director Don Hunt.

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_27029775/i-70-widening-plans-attract-fire-from-denver

Metro-area faith leaders say a $1.8 billion plan to widen a portion of Interstate 70 in northeast Denver should be scuttled because it is a public health threat and will break up low-income families in the area. A group of faith organizations, led by members of the Iliff School of Theology, outlined their concerns with the I-70 proposal in an October letter to Don Hunt, executive director of the Colorado Department of Transportation. The letter is now on a Change.org petition. The faith group hopes that CDOT will either drop its I-70 plan or alter it to better suit the homes and businesses in the Swansea and Elyria neighborhoods. ...

CDOT's plan calls for destroying I-70's decaying, 50-year-old viaduct between Brighton and Colorado boulevards and to place the highway below grade. CDOT wants to add two toll lanes in each direction between I-25 and Tower Road and put a nearly four-acre, landscaped cover over the highway by Swansea Elementary. Plans to improve I-70 have been discussed and studied for nearly 10 years and CDOT studied about 90 proposals before settling on the so-called "Partial Cover Lowered Alternative."

So, in other words, they bitch about how dangerous the I-70 viaduct is currently due to it's age, they'll bitch that a replacement is bad for them, and they'll bitch if I-70 is completely taken away from their neighborhood. 

I have a box of rocks sitting behind my shed with more intelligence than those people.

No matter what happens to I-70, they will gripe about it, they deserve to be ignored

[Bickendan]

Discussion continues about the reconstruction of this stretch of highway as evidenced in recent news reports...

http://www.denverpost.com/News/Local/ci_26841352/Swansea-parents-worry-how-CDOT-plan-for-I70-will-impact-neighborhood

They worry that a Colorado Department of Transportation proposal to widen and add a toll to I-70 will lead to dust, dirt and traffic problems during construction. They fear the good reconstruction jobs will go to people not connected to the neighborhood and that the 500-enrollment Swansea will be shuttered and their kids bused elsewhere. Once I-70 is rebuilt, the parents also fret that high housing and rental rates will follow, forcing them from an area where they've lived in most of their lives. But while CDOT's plans make them nervous, parents are also suspicious of a push to remove I-70 entirely from their backyards and put it instead in an alignment near I-270 and I-76. They like the idea of getting rid of the viaduct in favor of an underground highway with a park covering it. The new alignment proposal is being pushed by a group with no ties to the Swansea area and few concerns about the well-being of residents, say the parents. ... Critics have blasted the CDOT plan, saying it will lead to environmental disaster. They point to a recent report from the American Planning Association that says CDOT is moving ahead based on flawed, out-dated data while ignoring social and economic justice issues. The parents agree the viaduct is hazardous, saying rocks and bits of concrete have fallen on them or their children. Its pillars also make driving confusing. They unanimously favor the cap over the highway, which will connect them to other parts of Denver.

http://www.denverpost.com/News/ci_26977774/CDOTs-I70-east-plan-attracts-900-comments-as-process-continues

The Colorado Department of Transportation received more than 900 comments about its $1.8 billion plan to add tolls to Interstate 70 in northeast Denver and run a portion of the highway below grade. The comments were recorded as part of an environmental study of the project over a 45-day period that ended on Oct. 31. On Thursday, CDOT officials made all comments available on i-70east.com, its project website. That move is unprecedented, said CDOT executive director Don Hunt.

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_27029775/i-70-widening-plans-attract-fire-from-denver

Metro-area faith leaders say a $1.8 billion plan to widen a portion of Interstate 70 in northeast Denver should be scuttled because it is a public health threat and will break up low-income families in the area. A group of faith organizations, led by members of the Iliff School of Theology, outlined their concerns with the I-70 proposal in an October letter to Don Hunt, executive director of the Colorado Department of Transportation. The letter is now on a Change.org petition. The faith group hopes that CDOT will either drop its I-70 plan or alter it to better suit the homes and businesses in the Swansea and Elyria neighborhoods. ...

CDOT's plan calls for destroying I-70's decaying, 50-year-old viaduct between Brighton and Colorado boulevards and to place the highway below grade. CDOT wants to add two toll lanes in each direction between I-25 and Tower Road and put a nearly four-acre, landscaped cover over the highway by Swansea Elementary. Plans to improve I-70 have been discussed and studied for nearly 10 years and CDOT studied about 90 proposals before settling on the so-called "Partial Cover Lowered Alternative."

So, in other words, they bitch about how dangerous the I-70 viaduct is currently due to it's age, they'll bitch that a replacement is bad for them, and they'll bitch if I-70 is completely taken away from their neighborhood. 

I have a box of rocks sitting behind my shed with more intelligence than those people.

No matter what happens to I-70, they will gripe about it, they deserve to be ignored

They'll gripe for being ignored.

[iBallasticwolf2]

Discussion continues about the reconstruction of this stretch of highway as evidenced in recent news reports...

http://www.denverpost.com/News/Local/ci_26841352/Swansea-parents-worry-how-CDOT-plan-for-I70-will-impact-neighborhood

They worry that a Colorado Department of Transportation proposal to widen and add a toll to I-70 will lead to dust, dirt and traffic problems during construction. They fear the good reconstruction jobs will go to people not connected to the neighborhood and that the 500-enrollment Swansea will be shuttered and their kids bused elsewhere. Once I-70 is rebuilt, the parents also fret that high housing and rental rates will follow, forcing them from an area where they've lived in most of their lives. But while CDOT's plans make them nervous, parents are also suspicious of a push to remove I-70 entirely from their backyards and put it instead in an alignment near I-270 and I-76. They like the idea of getting rid of the viaduct in favor of an underground highway with a park covering it. The new alignment proposal is being pushed by a group with no ties to the Swansea area and few concerns about the well-being of residents, say the parents. ... Critics have blasted the CDOT plan, saying it will lead to environmental disaster. They point to a recent report from the American Planning Association that says CDOT is moving ahead based on flawed, out-dated data while ignoring social and economic justice issues. The parents agree the viaduct is hazardous, saying rocks and bits of concrete have fallen on them or their children. Its pillars also make driving confusing. They unanimously favor the cap over the highway, which will connect them to other parts of Denver.

http://www.denverpost.com/News/ci_26977774/CDOTs-I70-east-plan-attracts-900-comments-as-process-continues

The Colorado Department of Transportation received more than 900 comments about its $1.8 billion plan to add tolls to Interstate 70 in northeast Denver and run a portion of the highway below grade. The comments were recorded as part of an environmental study of the project over a 45-day period that ended on Oct. 31. On Thursday, CDOT officials made all comments available on i-70east.com, its project website. That move is unprecedented, said CDOT executive director Don Hunt.

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_27029775/i-70-widening-plans-attract-fire-from-denver

Metro-area faith leaders say a $1.8 billion plan to widen a portion of Interstate 70 in northeast Denver should be scuttled because it is a public health threat and will break up low-income families in the area. A group of faith organizations, led by members of the Iliff School of Theology, outlined their concerns with the I-70 proposal in an October letter to Don Hunt, executive director of the Colorado Department of Transportation. The letter is now on a Change.org petition. The faith group hopes that CDOT will either drop its I-70 plan or alter it to better suit the homes and businesses in the Swansea and Elyria neighborhoods. ...

CDOT's plan calls for destroying I-70's decaying, 50-year-old viaduct between Brighton and Colorado boulevards and to place the highway below grade. CDOT wants to add two toll lanes in each direction between I-25 and Tower Road and put a nearly four-acre, landscaped cover over the highway by Swansea Elementary. Plans to improve I-70 have been discussed and studied for nearly 10 years and CDOT studied about 90 proposals before settling on the so-called "Partial Cover Lowered Alternative."

So, in other words, they bitch about how dangerous the I-70 viaduct is currently due to it's age, they'll bitch that a replacement is bad for them, and they'll bitch if I-70 is completely taken away from their neighborhood. 

I have a box of rocks sitting behind my shed with more intelligence than those people.

No matter what happens to I-70, they will gripe about it, they deserve to be ignored

They'll gripe for being ignored.

True

[AplikowskiTheMinnesotan]

Discussion continues about the reconstruction of this stretch of highway as evidenced in recent news reports...

http://www.denverpost.com/News/Local/ci_26841352/Swansea-parents-worry-how-CDOT-plan-for-I70-will-impact-neighborhood

They worry that a Colorado Department of Transportation proposal to widen and add a toll to I-70 will lead to dust, dirt and traffic problems during construction. They fear the good reconstruction jobs will go to people not connected to the neighborhood and that the 500-enrollment Swansea will be shuttered and their kids bused elsewhere. Once I-70 is rebuilt, the parents also fret that high housing and rental rates will follow, forcing them from an area where they've lived in most of their lives. But while CDOT's plans make them nervous, parents are also suspicious of a push to remove I-70 entirely from their backyards and put it instead in an alignment near I-270 and I-76. They like the idea of getting rid of the viaduct in favor of an underground highway with a park covering it. The new alignment proposal is being pushed by a group with no ties to the Swansea area and few concerns about the well-being of residents, say the parents. ... Critics have blasted the CDOT plan, saying it will lead to environmental disaster. They point to a recent report from the American Planning Association that says CDOT is moving ahead based on flawed, out-dated data while ignoring social and economic justice issues. The parents agree the viaduct is hazardous, saying rocks and bits of concrete have fallen on them or their children. Its pillars also make driving confusing. They unanimously favor the cap over the highway, which will connect them to other parts of Denver.

http://www.denverpost.com/News/ci_26977774/CDOTs-I70-east-plan-attracts-900-comments-as-process-continues

The Colorado Department of Transportation received more than 900 comments about its $1.8 billion plan to add tolls to Interstate 70 in northeast Denver and run a portion of the highway below grade. The comments were recorded as part of an environmental study of the project over a 45-day period that ended on Oct. 31. On Thursday, CDOT officials made all comments available on i-70east.com, its project website. That move is unprecedented, said CDOT executive director Don Hunt.

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_27029775/i-70-widening-plans-attract-fire-from-denver

Metro-area faith leaders say a $1.8 billion plan to widen a portion of Interstate 70 in northeast Denver should be scuttled because it is a public health threat and will break up low-income families in the area. A group of faith organizations, led by members of the Iliff School of Theology, outlined their concerns with the I-70 proposal in an October letter to Don Hunt, executive director of the Colorado Department of Transportation. The letter is now on a Change.org petition. The faith group hopes that CDOT will either drop its I-70 plan or alter it to better suit the homes and businesses in the Swansea and Elyria neighborhoods. ...

CDOT's plan calls for destroying I-70's decaying, 50-year-old viaduct between Brighton and Colorado boulevards and to place the highway below grade. CDOT wants to add two toll lanes in each direction between I-25 and Tower Road and put a nearly four-acre, landscaped cover over the highway by Swansea Elementary. Plans to improve I-70 have been discussed and studied for nearly 10 years and CDOT studied about 90 proposals before settling on the so-called "Partial Cover Lowered Alternative."

So, in other words, they bitch about how dangerous the I-70 viaduct is currently due to it's age, they'll bitch that a replacement is bad for them, and they'll bitch if I-70 is completely taken away from their neighborhood. 

I have a box of rocks sitting behind my shed with more intelligence than those people.

No matter what happens to I-70, they will gripe about it, they deserve to be ignored

They'll gripe for being ignored.

True

http://memegenerator.net/instance/60128333

[andy3175]

Update on the I-70 Widening/expansion project in northeast Denver... the PIRG report is discussed in detail at https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=17302.0.

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_29403900/i-70-expansion-plan-denver-huge-waste-tax

$1.2 billion proposal to widen and toll parts of Interstate 70 through northeast Denver is being called one of the country's most wasteful highway projects by a national public interest group.

But state planners for I-70 say their designs for the highway will improve local neighborhoods, cut congestion and provide welcome alternatives for motorists. They said the project is a 100-year investment in the corridor.

"We will have an express lane to encourage car pooling, a commuter rail line will soon be opening nearby, ... these are the types of projects we want to see developed," said Rebecca White, spokeswoman for the east I-70 project. "We are going to do this in a very thoughtful way."

Still, a report by the Colorado Public Interest Research Group, or CoPIRG — unveiled under the shadow of the I-70 viaduct near Swansea Elementary School — says the I-70 proposal will burn up at least $58 million in taxpayer dollars. That's funding that could go toward investing in other forms of transportation, like a commuter bus service or in programs to discourage driving, said Danny Katz, director of the CoPIRG Foundation.

CoPIRG lumps the I-70 proposal with 11 national highway projects that will waste at least $24 billion in tax dollars. The report says the projects are "wrongly prioritizing expansion over repair of existing infrastructure" and are based on poor projections of future needs. ...

At a news conference Tuesday near Swansea Elementary, which is next to the I-70 expansion area, Katz said the viaduct is a "dirty mess" but added that expanding the highway to 10 lanes is not needed.

"We need to be spending our limited transportation dollars on repairing and maintaining our current roads and bridges and investing in transportation solutions that reduce the need for costly and disruptive highway expansion projects," Katz said.

He said research shows that adding more lanes on highways does not solve congestion, but rather creates more traffic in which more drivers spend more time behind the wheel.

CDOT, however, says its plan remakes a badly worn highway while also adding alternatives like toll lanes. They will encourage motorists to get off the general purpose lanes and relieve congestion. The agency says the section of I-70 is congested up to 10 hours a day and carries up to 220,000 vehicles daily.

"I-70 can't handle the traffic now, and we are looking at a 40 to 50 percent growth over the next few years," said White. "If we do nothing, you can expect it to take 65 minutes to travel 12 miles on the highway."

CDOT wants to remove the deteriorating 50-year-old viaduct on I-70 between Brighton Boulevard and Colorado Boulevard, lowering the highway below grade and adding two tolled express lanes in each direction.

The viaduct would be replaced with a 4-acre green cover near the elementary school. This will reunite the Swansea and Elyria neighborhoods.

The plan has also garnered support from various groups including the Denver Chamber of Commerce, National Western Stock Show, Union Pacific Railroad and the Elyria-Swansea Business Association.

The public review period for the Final EIS is from January 15, 2016 through March 2, 2016: http://www.i-70east.com/reports.html#feis

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_29394395/final-environmental-report-plans-i-70-north-denver

The preferred fix for I-70 calls for removing the deteriorating, 50-year-old viaduct between Brighton and Colorado boulevards; lowering I-70 between Brighton and Colorado boulevards, just east of I-25, about 40 feet; building a nearly 4-acre landscaped cover over I-70 as it runs by Swansea Elementary School; and adding tolled express lanes in each direction of the interstate.

CDOT's plan for the corridor has been met with some opposition, and officials say the FEIS helps answer the critics of its proposal. ...

A final decision on CDOT's plan is scheduled for this summer. CDOT hopes to begin construction in late 2017 after a private partner is selected to design, build, finance, operate and maintain the project.

[The Ghostbuster]

I just looked at the viaduct on Google Maps via Streetview, and that is one ugly viaduct. It is good that it is being replaced. I like the idea of adding toll lanes to the corridor. Hopefully it should improve mobility along that stretch of Interstate 70.

[thenetwork]

The street beneath the viaduct is creepy too!

[coatimundi]

This viaduct has always been very interesting to me. US 6 actually runs on the lower portion, and has since it was rerouted onto Vasquez Boulevard, which was well before the freeway was built. I have a pic of the US 6 reassurance shield from below the deck somewhere, but even Google Maps shows this if you zoom in. The top is just decrepit: no merge lanes, limited guardrails, narrow lanes. A lot of it has to be below modern interstate standards.
Depressing it, creating a Big Dig style urban boulevard or even something similar to what was done with the CA 15 connection in San Diego, where they just plopped a park on top of it, would be really nice, even though that may remove one of the more interesting sections of Route 6.
They should jump on this now, while it's still a crappy neighborhood. It's only a matter of time before the hipsters from RiNo have to find another place, drive up the property values and make ROW acquisition a lot harder.

[Anthony_JK]

Update on the I-70 Widening/expansion project in northeast Denver... the PIRG report is discussed in detail at https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=17302.0.

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_29403900/i-70-expansion-plan-denver-huge-waste-tax

$1.2 billion proposal to widen and toll parts of Interstate 70 through northeast Denver is being called one of the country's most wasteful highway projects by a national public interest group.

But state planners for I-70 say their designs for the highway will improve local neighborhoods, cut congestion and provide welcome alternatives for motorists. They said the project is a 100-year investment in the corridor.

"We will have an express lane to encourage car pooling, a commuter rail line will soon be opening nearby, ... these are the types of projects we want to see developed," said Rebecca White, spokeswoman for the east I-70 project. "We are going to do this in a very thoughtful way."

Still, a report by the Colorado Public Interest Research Group, or CoPIRG — unveiled under the shadow of the I-70 viaduct near Swansea Elementary School — says the I-70 proposal will burn up at least $58 million in taxpayer dollars. That's funding that could go toward investing in other forms of transportation, like a commuter bus service or in programs to discourage driving, said Danny Katz, director of the CoPIRG Foundation.

CoPIRG lumps the I-70 proposal with 11 national highway projects that will waste at least $24 billion in tax dollars. The report says the projects are "wrongly prioritizing expansion over repair of existing infrastructure" and are based on poor projections of future needs. ...

At a news conference Tuesday near Swansea Elementary, which is next to the I-70 expansion area, Katz said the viaduct is a "dirty mess" but added that expanding the highway to 10 lanes is not needed.

"We need to be spending our limited transportation dollars on repairing and maintaining our current roads and bridges and investing in transportation solutions that reduce the need for costly and disruptive highway expansion projects," Katz said.

He said research shows that adding more lanes on highways does not solve congestion, but rather creates more traffic in which more drivers spend more time behind the wheel.

CDOT, however, says its plan remakes a badly worn highway while also adding alternatives like toll lanes. They will encourage motorists to get off the general purpose lanes and relieve congestion. The agency says the section of I-70 is congested up to 10 hours a day and carries up to 220,000 vehicles daily.

"I-70 can't handle the traffic now, and we are looking at a 40 to 50 percent growth over the next few years," said White. "If we do nothing, you can expect it to take 65 minutes to travel 12 miles on the highway."

CDOT wants to remove the deteriorating 50-year-old viaduct on I-70 between Brighton Boulevard and Colorado Boulevard, lowering the highway below grade and adding two tolled express lanes in each direction.

The viaduct would be replaced with a 4-acre green cover near the elementary school. This will reunite the Swansea and Elyria neighborhoods.

The plan has also garnered support from various groups including the Denver Chamber of Commerce, National Western Stock Show, Union Pacific Railroad and the Elyria-Swansea Business Association.

[...]

Let me guess what COPIRG supports.....converting existing I-70 into a surface boulevard with light rail and moving I-70 to I-270 or I-470??

[NE2]

This viaduct has always been very interesting to me. US 6 actually runs on the lower portion, and has since it was rerouted onto Vasquez Boulevard, which was well before the freeway was built. I have a pic of the US 6 reassurance shield from below the deck somewhere, but even Google Maps shows this if you zoom in.

Got an exact location? There's a sign on northbound Steele showing that US 6 hops on I-70 there: http://usends.com/Explore/US87inCO/index.html

[coatimundi]

This viaduct has always been very interesting to me. US 6 actually runs on the lower portion, and has since it was rerouted onto Vasquez Boulevard, which was well before the freeway was built. I have a pic of the US 6 reassurance shield from below the deck somewhere, but even Google Maps shows this if you zoom in.

Got an exact location? There's a sign on northbound Steele showing that US 6 hops on I-70 there: http://usends.com/Explore/US87inCO/index.html

No! And now that I'm looking at it again, Google Maps and me are wrong. I mean, I guess it's a bit of a stretch to imagine US 6 exiting from I-70 at Brighton Boulevard, making a left, then a hard right, then following that lower deck, but that would so cool.
I did find my picture of that sign, but mine is from the westbound ramp to Brighton Boulevard. I had always assumed it was just a preliminary marker, since 6 was to join at the next ramp. The set of pictures I wanted were conveniently archived on a different computer that is not hooked up. So, instead of actually hooking it up, this sent me on a whirlwind of research, and I discovered Colorado's OTIS, which has just rocked my world. But that basically says about CODOT's dealing with federal highway-interstate multiplexes just as that link does: they don't exist. 006G ends at I-25, and 006H begins on the ramp to Steele. I looked at some older maps I had, but they weren't detailed or old enough, but I found a 1962 Denver map on eBay that shows 46th Avenue connecting directly to an early version of the Mousetrap.
Interesting stuff, so I'm glad I was pointed to actually looking this up.

===edit===
I should add that you can tell that I-70/US 85/US 6 marker that's pictured on that site is above Brighton Boulevard as it's right next to the 275 mm sign, which is Brighton Boulevard. Steele is at 276.

[mrsman]

I believe I first got word of this form the Citylab website, but it seems that I-70 is a cool freeway being built right on top of an existing street.  This is reminiscent of the BQE over 3rd Ave in Brooklyn.

Does 46th Ave get really busy?  Does it become the main alternate when I-70 is jammed?

 

[Duke87]

Let me guess what COPIRG supports.....converting existing I-70 into a surface boulevard with light rail and moving I-70 to I-270 or I-470??

The PIRG report in question is critical of "wrongly prioritizing expansion over repair of existing infrastructure".

The basic concept here is simple: that it is unwise for the state to be spending money on widening roads when they are struggling to maintain the roads they already have.

The logical thing to support based on this philosophy is leaving the existing viaduct in place and only doing the rehab work necessary to keep it standing, at least until CDOT has caught up on their deferred maintenance.

[thenetwork]

I believe I first got word of this form the Citylab website, but it seems that I-70 is a cool freeway being built right on top of an existing street.  This is reminiscent of the BQE over 3rd Ave in Brooklyn.

Does 46th Ave get really busy?  Does it become the main alternate when I-70 is jammed?

 

Usually if I-70 is jammed on either side of I-25, a lot of thru traffic will use I-76 and I-270 to bypass the area.  Even the traffic reporters will suggest using either I-76 and/or I-270 as alternates whenever logical.   

Also US-6/6th Avenue freeway and I-70 west of I-25 are common interchangeable alternates of each other when jams occur west of town.

The only times I recall traffic reporters suggesting surface streets as alternate routes is for I-25 (with Federal/US-287, Wadsworth and Pecos as suggested alternatives), when both US-6 and I-70 are jammed (Colfax/US-40/BL-70), and County Line which parallels the easternmost stretch of C(O)-470.

[kwellada]

This viaduct has always been very interesting to me. US 6 actually runs on the lower portion, and has since it was rerouted onto Vasquez Boulevard, which was well before the freeway was built. I have a pic of the US 6 reassurance shield from below the deck somewhere, but even Google Maps shows this if you zoom in. The top is just decrepit: no merge lanes, limited guardrails, narrow lanes. A lot of it has to be below modern interstate standards.

When I still lived in Denver I did everything I could to avoid driving this stretch of I-70 and fortunately there were usually other ways to get wherever I needed to go. 

Unlike Seattle's aging viaduct, Denver's does not have a pretty waterfront view to take your mind off the badness of the road itself.

[Buffaboy]

Maybe it's just me, but I don't see what the issue (other than structural) would be with this highway. It looks like a typical 6 lane highway to me.

Is it jammed all the time?

[thenetwork]

Maybe it's just me, but I don't see what the issue (other than structural) would be with this highway. It looks like a typical 6 lane highway to me.

Is it jammed all the time?

It's a very old stretch of highway, with substandard interchanges, short merge & decel lanes and very little space for breakdowns.  Plus they like to have the motorcycle cops on the viaduct to slow traffic to a crawl.

[andy3175]

Continuing with more news articles about ongoing efforts to rebuild I-70 east of I-25 as a cut and cover tunnel, with controversy and more opposition. Some still want I-70 rerouted onto I-270 and I-76, while converting the overhead viaduct into a surface boulevard.

http://www.coloradoindependent.com/160187/i-70-expansion-explained

CDOT is planning to alter the 10-mile section of I-70 that runs between I-25 and Chambers Road. The project runs through, and thus will most directly affect, the Elyria/Swansea and Globeville neighborhoods.
Why change the highway? The project was prompted by a need to finally fix an existing viaduct that has long been in disrepair. CDOT’s plan is multi-step. First, they will “cut and cover” part of the existing highway: That means removing the viaduct and completely rebuilding the section between Brighton Boulevard and Colorado Road — this time, below ground level — and installing a four-acre landscaped park on top of part the lowered section. The section of highway from Colorado Road to I-270 will also be rebuilt, but at its existing, above-ground level.
CDOT also plans to add an express lane in each direction in two sections: I-270  to Chambers Road and I-25 to Brighton. They will accomplish this by widening and restriping those sections, respectively.
CDOT estimates that the whole project will cost $1.17 billion. Construction is expected to begin after summer 2017.
Some residents of the Elyria/Swansea and Globeville neighborhoods say expansion will mean a substantial shift in what those areas look like and how much traffic flows through them.
CDOT says that its primary goals are to “make the interstate safer, relieve congestion, and address aging infrastructure.” But detractors fear that it will cause more problems than it solves.

This article offers the following reasons why there is opposition to the cut and cover proposal:

1. They’re worried about air pollution
 
2. They think it’s unfair to have to pay for stormwater drainage
 
3. They think the expansion is really about Mayor Hancock’s pet project: the National Western Complex
 
4. They don’t like that it will alter a well-loved, affordable golf course
 
5. They don’t think it will decrease traffic
 
6. Community input has been…negative
 
7. They think it’s an antiquated design
 
8. They’re worried it will make gentrification even worse


http://denver.streetsblog.org/2016/12/02/elyria-swansea-residents-tell-cdot-i-70-widening-is-a-nightmare/

Elyria, Swansea, and Globeville residents have a message for the Colorado Department of Transportation, Governor John Hickenlooper, and Mayor Michael Hancock: After being marginalized for decades, they won’t stand for a wider I-70 getting rammed through their neighborhoods.

About 75 people dug their heels in Thursday night at a community center in Swansea. After plenty of public hearings that went according to CDOT’s script, they wanted to wrest control of the conversation from CDOT and the City and County of Denver.

One of the most outspoken residents against the plan to dig a 40-foot trench and widen the freeway by four lanes is Anthony Lovato, a third-generation Swansea native who now lives in Globeville. Lovato also happens to be a CDOT engineer.

Lovato fearlessly spoke out as a private citizen. “I am a CDOT employee, but I don’t speak for CDOT. I don’t represent CDOT,” he said. “But I’m totally against this. I’m against the ditch.”

Lovato’s mother still lives in Swansea, but his father died of cancer at 59. He questioned whether the air and soil pollution spawned by the city’s historical neglect of the neighborhoods led to his dad’s early death. Lovato also shared his professional opinion about tripling the size of a road that has divided the mostly Latino, working class neighborhood from the rest of Denver since the 1960s.

“From my perspective… this is an engineering nightmare,” he said. “This is a construction nightmare. The people that are working on this don’t want to be working on it. That’s how bad it is. Nobody’s excited about this project. You can talk to other CDOT employees, they’re not gonna tell you they’re excited about this. It’s a nightmare.”

Opposition to the I-70 project is gaining momentum. Earlier this year, the Federal Highway Administration delayed its decision on the project following an air quality lawsuit. Neighborhoods to the south are suing the city over a drainage project tied to the road expansion. Most recently, a coalition of north Denver neighborhood organizations filed a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Transportation.

These wins have CDOT running scared, said community advocate Candi CdeBaca. ...

Advocates want to see the highway rerouted north through Adams County along I-270 and I-76, which they say CDOT has never seriously considered. There are fewer homes on that stretch within 500 feet of the roadway — just one for every 21 homes along I-70, according to advocates. A tree-lined boulevard would replace the stretch of I-70 through north Denver.

“What this alternative says is, “Why can’t we have a 6th Avenue? Why can’t we have a 17th? Why can’t we have nice things?” CdeBaca said. “This alternative proposes something that is nice. Something that will undo the harm that was done when I-70 was put in this neighborhood.”

http://www.citylab.com/politics/2017/01/in-divided-denver-a-highway-promises-reconnection/512660/

The playground at Swansea Elementary School sits less than 50 feet from the viaduct that carries I-70 through Denver. From the perspective of a driver on the interstate, the orange brick schoolhouse, faded gingerbread bungalows, and low-slung industrial plants surrounding this neighborhood flash by in seconds.

From the ground, however, it’s impossible not to notice the highway. Since it was built in 1964, I-70 has defined life in Elyria-Swansea, a community of about 6,500 people and a lot of industry largely separated from the rest of Denver by six lanes of traffic. There’s the smoke-billowing pet-food factory, the warehouses full of growing marijuana, the clutch of livestock yards. At recess, Swansea Elementary schoolchildren breathe the fumes from these smelly neighbors, and from the hundreds of thousands of cars and trucks that roar overhead daily. For some kids, getting to class means walking beneath the viaduct’s crumbling underbelly, where hunks of concrete can drop without notice.

This will soon change. State highway engineers say this stretch has to be replaced, and after 14 years of studying, stalling, and battling over plans, they have an innovative—and expensive—fix: Dismantle the viaduct, dig a widened trench, shove the traffic below grade, and stick a grassy park on top.

For $1.2 billion, the Central 70 project promises to stitch this neighborhood back to the city. Its design is the outcome of a hard-fought battle by a community accustomed to being ignored. But not everyone is celebrating. As the tides of revitalization and gentrification lap against Elyria-Swansea’s borders, some residents wonder whom these improvements will serve. Will a beautified highway really reconnect this long-isolated neighborhood? Or will it just push those who live here now even further away? ...

Construction hasn’t even begun yet, but the reality of Central 70 is proving to be slightly different than the promise. The proposed cap is tiny—just 800 feet out of two miles of sunken trench—which means there will be far fewer pedestrian connections than currently exist beneath the viaduct. And the highway itself will widen from six lanes to 10, tripling its footprint. CDOT says that large fans flanking the highway cap will keep the park users from breathing in fumes, but air quality experts aren’t convinced. Those familiar with the principle of induced demand are up in arms over the prospect that the improved I-70 will end up worsening congestion, as well as the neighborhood’s existing pollution burden.

Fifty-six homes and seventeen businesses will be cleared out of the way; CDOT has already started buying up and demolishing some of them. Displaced residents are being compensated, but there’s a strong sense that it isn’t enough to resettle nearby—local property values are now beginning to creep up. Actually, make that rocket up. According to Zillow, Elyria-Swansea home values have increased more than 21 percent over the past year, and are predicted to rise another 9 percent within the next year.

In a federal complaint filed with the U.S. DOT’s Office of Civil Rights, two community advocacy groups and the Elyria and Swansea Neighborhood Association assert that CDOT made offers based on 2012 home values, not current ones. “They’re getting offers for $150,000 to $200,000, which can’t buy anything in Denver,” says Candi CdeBaca, an activist and organizer who leads the Cross Community Coalition, one of the complainants. (White, CDOT’s communications liaison, says CDOT has followed all federally mandated compensation requirements—and that the process has even “resulted in some positive benefits for local residents,” including renters becoming homeowners.) ...

Central 70’s eye-popping renderings probably aren’t motivating realtors all by themselves. This is Denver, one of the hottest housing markets in the country, where downtown’s redevelopment shows little sign of slowing. Shortly after CDOT announced the cut-and-cover alternative, the city of Denver signaled other major changes coming to Elyria-Swansea. In early 2013, Mayor Michael Hancock established the North Denver Cornerstone Collaborative, a municipal office focused on turning the area into “a connected and sustainable community that will drive job creation and growth on a globally competitive scale.” The NDCC’s function is to help streamline planning and strategize public-private financing for six separate projects in north Denver—including parts of the I-70 cap.

Also within the office’s purview is a $900-million renovation of Elyria’s National Western Center, a sprawling livestock complex slated to morph into a year-round tourist destination. Brighton Boulevard, a major industrial corridor at the eastern edge of the Central 70 project area, will be getting new sidewalks and bike lanes in a bid to lure commercial and residential development. The city also wants to start developing land around commuter-rail stations recently or soon to be opened around north Denver. The NDCC also worked with Elyria-Swansea to create its first-ever neighborhood plan, which recommended the city invest in updated infrastructure and better land-use separations—but unlike the NDCC’s other projects, those improvements are largely unfunded. The I-70 makeover is in some ways the linchpin of these projects, as it will transform the area most dramatically.