Interstate 70 is a major East-West commercial corridor that has existed since the 1950's. It benefits downtown, the city, the metro area, the mountains, the state and the region. For decades it was surrounded by industrial brown fields.
CDOT has to be one of the worst funded state DOT's in the country especially considering Colorado's growth. Two similar states with growth, Georgia and Washington last year each increased their state DOT funding by a $billion per year. Is it any wonder that according to USDOT as reported by
Business Insider that Colorado is tied for the 6th worst roads in the country?
With respect to
Interstate 345 in Dallas that is nothing more than a 1.4-mile-long shortcut for convenience. Why would it be any big deal to tear that down? With respect to TxDOT and Dallas if they were dealing with a critical commercial corridor like I-70 it would have been rebuilt and completed years ago. When is the last time you compared TxDOT funding to Colorado? Hint:
CNBC rates Texas 9th best for infrastructure despite dealing with tremendous growth.
I-70 expansion has been needed for a long time; it has been over a dozen years of painstaking process for CDOT to determine how best to proceed. There has been more than ample time for Colorado to raise the gas tax like other states have done to obtain the critical funding they have needed. If metro area residents much preferred to detour I-70 there's also been more than enough time to create an initiative specific to transportation funding for the metro area. As far as I'm aware nobody or group has offered to write out a big check for the cost of such a highly questionable idea. The only way CDOT has been able to move forward on many critical projects is by utilizing a P3 as they will with the I-70 expansion.
As far as reduced congestion that is the purpose of utilizing
toll lanes. With respect to "induced demand" that is the silliest argument I've ever heard. Of course expansion invites additional traffic. That's part of the purpose since it's needed in the 1st place.
Lastly, what CDOT will do is no different that what Phoenix accomplished 25 years ago. If you're not fond of the park deck, fine, but it works OK down here. In any case I-10 is no big deal and essentially divides downtown from mid-town.
Threaded Mode