Highways in Denver Area --- I-70 / Beltway / 470 (Arvada, Boulder: buy, tax)

[ColoWeb]

470 is not cheap. In time it will get worse. I saw some unofficial projections from Aurora and next ~15 years (not sure) there will be 15,000-30,000 households in that area. IT will be facing traffic and issues once again.

[denverian]

I've read articles about toll roads recently built in the U.S. and how many are total failures - probably due to high price. They built a couple in Orange County when I lived there. One took people from an inland area (Corona) through the mountains and into Irvine where many jobs are located. Before that, people had to drive down the 91 to the 55 freeway (which I lived near) to get to Irvine. So the first week the toll road was open, it was free. Traffic on the 55 dropped considerable and my commute to work was great. The next week when tolls kicked in, it was back to the usual. So the toll road turned out just to be a road for the rich! (It's something like $10 round trip)

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

Sorry, steveindenver, not EVERYONE who uses E470 is going from Highlands Ranch to the airport. I live in the Tech Center and do some work in the Dacono/Frederick/Firestone area. To drive there on I-25 through the middle of town would take at least an hour and a half. I go around on E470 and get there in under an hour. I love the fact that I can go 75 mph the whole way, instead of sitting in the I-25 "parking lot". Of course, it helps that my boss pays the tolls!

[Mikieo415]

The fact of the matter is that the 470 loop needs to be completed to aid traffic problems in the future. It will allow the east side to develop in ways we can't see yet. Imagine if they never built 36 to Boulder. I do believe it was a toll road in the past (hence the name Boulder Turnpike) and it has more than paid for itself. Eventually the area around E-470 will be built up like everywhere else, more people will use the road, tolls will drop, and the road will be paid for. Now the only thing they need to figure out is how to finish 470 with the connection from Golden to Broomfield.

[kristenfromdenver]

So, if W470 is ever approved, when do you all think it would be built?

[Mikieo415]

Originally Posted by kristenfromdenver

So, if W470 is ever approved, when do you all think it would be built?

In the year 2155

[kristenfromdenver]

I like your answer Mikieo - I have a friend who's looking to buy in Golden near 93, north of 58 and it sounds very scary that 93 could turn into a 6 lane highway. Why does it bother me so much that poeple keep building more and more roads. I guess I feel like to be most environmentally friendly we need more public transit or people need to live close to where they work - call me crazy!!!

[denverian]

Originally Posted by Rawlings

I work at CU in Boulder and live in the 'burbs so I've got to take that mercilessly awful Highway 93 everyday. If it isn't closed because of snow and wind it should be! There's no question that economic and residential development would be a good thing along the northwest coridoor. But the NIMBYists in Golden are building retirement homes and businesses to make condemnation in order to build the road an impossibility.

Truth is the future of transportation in Colorado will be more roads--not this silly light rail stuff. This is an automobile city and state and no matter how vigorously the new urbanists build their condos and train tracks, it will always be that. It's about time to recognize that fact and act.

Silly??? When gas hits $4, $5, $6 a gallon, you'll be begging for an alternative to your car! And even if you think you're too good for light rail, you should be happy that others in Denver are willing to use it and live in denser developments along light rail lines because it keeps cars off the road and slows sprawl into undeveloped areas.

[Katarina Witt]

Rawlings is no longer a member. He was a troll.

[steveco.]

Try driving into new york for under 10$. This is a deal and there is NO traffic. I love it personally.