Summit County Citizens Voice

Could moveable lane barriers help ease congestion on I-70?

I-70, Dam Road and Summit Stage operations up for discussion at March 11 Our Future Summit event in Frisco

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Local leaders and transportation experts will gather for a roundtable Thursday to discuss high country transportation issues, including some potential ways to ease I-70 congestion and the latest on talks with Denver Water on the nighttime Dillon Dam Road closures.

Speakers at the forum include I-70 Coalition chair and Frisco town manager Michael Penny, new Colorado State Patrol commander Capt. John Lupton, Sheriff John Minor, Summit Stage director John Jones and Denver Water operations director Brian Good. The forum is part of the Our Future Summit series of community roundtables on local topics.

Since no significant action on I-70 improvements are expected for six years, and no high-speed rail expected through 2020 at the earliest, local and state officials are looking into short term solutions to traffic congestion, including moveable contraflow barriers  along a 15-mile stretch of Clear Creek County. The system would provide an additional lane when it’s most needed either east or westbound. Another idea is restrict trucks from using the passing lane on steep grades in the corridor.

John Jones will give an update on Summit Stage operations. The county’s free transit service is facing challenges, as sales tax revenues that fund bus service have dropped drastically in the past year.

And according to a press release from Our Future Summit, there could be some new information on operations of the Dillon Dam Road.

The forum will start at 7 p.m. at the Summit County Community & Senior Center.

Anyone having a perspective to share or an interest in becoming more informed about matters of mobility is invited to join the discussion. All Our Future Summit monthly roundtables are free and open to the public. Doors at the Community Center will open at 6:45 p.m., when light snacks and soft drinks will be available.

For more information, call Howard Hallman at (719) 491-1807 or Sandy Briggs at (970) 389-0987.

Filed under: I-70, Summit County Colorado, transportation Tagged: | Dillon Dam Road, I-70, Our Future Summit, Summit County Colorado, Summit County News, Summit Stage, transportation