Does Colorado Need $16 Billion High Speed Transit System?
A survey is out asking for public response concerning the possibility of a high-speed transit system coming to the I-70 Corridor.
Everybody knows that traveling the I-70 corridor is a crapshoot. Will there be traffic congestion and delays? Will their be accidents and delays? Will there be inclement weather and delays?
Most of the time you can make the trip to Denver without incident and with minimal - if any delay. But, the possibility for delays always exists, regardless of the weather or the time of year
Supporters of a high-speed transit system say it would reduce congestion and save time- at least on the stretch from Eagle to Denver, which is where the hypothetical transportation systems would be built. It is estimated that the system would save travelers 35-45 minutes between Eagle County and Denver.
It does seem like Interstate 70 is carrying more traffic than ever before, but with an estimated $13 - $16 billion dollar price tag, is it worth it? Who's gonna pay for it? And if there is a cost to use it (which there almost certainly would be) who is going to use it? Considering the mountain terrain, is such a system even realistic?
A group that is pushing for this new system, the I-70 Coalition, is trying to get feedback from the public concerning the feasibility of such a project and to get an idea of how many people would be interested in using it. The survey is available online until the end of December.
Personally, the whole idea seems far-fetched and unnecessary, but, there were probably people thinking the same thing about air travel before Wilbur and Orville Wright took their historic first flight.