Transportation Advocacy

Interstate 70 is a dominant feature of life for so many residents of Clear Creek County. The extreme congestion limits our mobility and impacts our air and our water. It also gives tens of thousands of tourists easy access to our communities. They eat at our restaurants, browse and buy in our shops, visit and enjoy our attractions and play a huge part in our economy. There is a lot riding on that highway…pun intended.

All of which is why the County works to ensure our interests are represented every step of the way as work on I-70 continues. We strive to:

Ensure that travel improvements in the corridor are in keeping with the Clear Creek County Transportation Vision and protect the economic interests and health of residents of Clear Creek.

CLEAR CREEK COUNTY TRANSPORTATION VISION

In the summer of 2013, the Clear Creek County Board of Commissioners undertook a community visioning process to ensure transportation projects in the county were consistent with the goals, issues and values of the County and its residents. County residents, business owners, County officials and other interested parties collaborated in a workshop to build that vision. The shared values that were identified included:

• Protecting small town communities and rural mountain settings
• Enhancing the vibrant local economy
• Preserving the natural, healthy environment
• Identifying and protecting local nationally recognized historic assets

PROTECTING THE ECONOMIC INTERESTS AND HEALTH OF RESIDENTS

A key interest for the County is to increase transportation capacity (how many people and how much payload) and reduce congestion. More people and more goods need to be transported through the corridor, with every passing week it would seem. We all know how congestion impacts our lives. But we also know that more lanes may just mean more cars crawling slowly through. We want more people to contribute to our economy but we don’t want the congestion those people bring. So what do we do?

Define Capacity Broadly

As we collaborate to increase capacity and reduce congestion, maintaining a broad view of HOW to expand capacity is critical. Broadly defined capacity expansion, through innovation and technology, offers potential solutions for more capacity in the corridor without more congestion. Innovative solutions include high-speed transit, multi-passenger and autonomous vehicles, and travel demand management.

Our priority is protecting the health and economic interests of Clear Creek County residents by advocating for solutions that increase capacity and decrease congestion on I-70.

Protect Our Quality of Life

Roads and driving cause pollution; vehicle emissions and construction dust get in our air; snow removal materials get in our water; nighttime construction disrupts our sleep; noise spreads into our living rooms and construction alters our views. From aesthetic guidelines that must be adhered to, to successfully obtaining air monitors, to creating teams to monitor water quality, Clear Creek County has for decades advocated and fought for tools, data, monitoring and agreements that help us track and limit the negative impacts of these forces.