letters to the editor
Planners Propose Partially Subterranean I-70, July Issue
“Righting a Wrong”
I have been a resident in Northwest Denver all of my life. I remember how much we all protested the path of I-70 which cut through two of our parks and the Willis Case golf course. We all wanted it to go closer to the city limits, but the politicians of the day went with it anyway.
Now, 60 years later, I rode my bike around Rocky Mountain Lake, Berkeley Park Lake and Sloan’s Lake. I would urge anyone who is against the relocation of I-70 to walk or ride the route I took this morning.
The difference is dramatic. The bike and walk path at Berkeley Park Lake which has its northern boundary I-70 and the bike and walk path at Rocky Mountain Lake which has the highway cutting through on the northern boundary were almost deserted – there were no serious bikers or runners there. But at Sloan’s Lake, the paths were crowded with bikers and walkers. Athletes avoid Berkeley and Rocky Mountain parks because of the polluted air they would breath from the highway. Whereas, the Sloan’s Lake bike path was busy, not to mention the noise and the look of Sloan’s Lake without the highway. The highway does indeed ruin both Rocky Mountain Park and Berkeley Park.
Now we have an opportunity to correct a horrible mistake that was made 60 years ago and it makes sense to do so. Give these two parks back to the citizens who will use and enjoy them. Please, before you make a judgment about this issue, walk or bike the three parks and compare. Never before have we had this wonderful chance to right a wrong.
Shirley Schley, 21st and Osceola
“A Temporary Situation at Best”
It must be emphasized that the critical and overarching issues are human health, community cohesion and disproportionate adverse effects on minorities. These issues, especially air quality, were raised in the Environmental Impact Statement process but largely ignored. Indeed, they were raised in the 1960’s by impacted local I-70 citizens and those concerned with national transportation. Highways were rammed through low-income and minority areas with low property acquisition costs and low political strength.
CDOT attempts to sidestep health impacts by limiting itself to “conformance” analysis, i.e. the question of whether projected air quality meet adopted standards? Sadly, there are no standards for many cancer-causing automotive emissions. Proper decisions must focus on people, giving priority to health, community cohesion and sustainability priority over car counts and construction costs.
The northern corridor could be the best corridor for the future fast rail from DIA to Western Colorado now being planned by CDOT; automotive and rail traffic could share the right-of-way. Keeping traffic on I-70 is a temporary situation at best; in several decades it will again be fully congested and what will CDOT do then? Let’s move the main east-west traffic load off I-70 now.
Albert G. Melcher, Captain Civil Engineer Corps USNR Retired,
former CDOT Commissioner and member I-70 EIS Advisory Committee