NW Parkway assumptions off base
The Rocky editorial on the Northwest Parkway lease (“A good deal for public,” Sept. 4) mistakenly assumes that the destination of the majority of commuters using E-470 and the parkway is the north end of C-470 and Interstate 70. This is not true, as shown by the Northwest Quadrant Feasibility Study and the Northwest Corridor Environmental Impact Statement.
The Rocky makes the same mistakes as its competitor did in its own editorial on this topic. They both state that the beltway completion is for commuters, not for residents in northern Jefferson County whose quality of life would be adversely affected by the new superhighway. They both also omit any reference to the noncompete arrangement in the lease agreement.
This egregious restriction is a repeat of the Tower Road/E-470 agreement, where restrictions on improving Tower Road would cause increased congestion (and it has) and motivate drivers to use the parallel toll highway.
Dick Sugg, Golden
please tell us how your quality of life will change? will it be better knowing that when you drive on roads outside your special little area that you are adversely affecting someone elses quality of life? i bet you dont give a rats ass on that as long as there is not a high way close to you.
whos quality of life did you ruin when you bought your home out there in peaceful view? you didnt even think of it did you. you have got yours so screw everyone else, right?
Exactly. Golden made its bed, it's got to sleep in it. Don't become an eyesore of sprawlburbia (except for the nice, pleasant downtown area!), start growing like a weed up Highway 93, and then b*tch and moan about extending the NW Parkway! I bet Golden residents don't even want to see 93 widened instead of completing the Parkway!
Aaron
There have been multiple studies recommending widening of existing roads over building a tollroad in the area. Guess what? This widening will have to be done even if a tollroad is built. Unless, of course, our elected officials are stupid enough/get enough graft to sign a noncompete agreement.
Take a look at a map. The best route for a beltway link would be straight up Indiana all the way to the I-70/CO58 interchange. Why is this not an option? Because this is about serving developers and sprawl, not about transportation.
Aaron,
Golden did not create the terrain north of its city. Nature did that.
People who are so anxious to make Highway 93 into the northwest quadrant of 470 have probably never noticed the area between Golden and 60th Avenue to see that a major highway would not fit easily because of the narrow distance between North Table Mountain and the adjacent foothills. But, hey, it’s not in their back yard so why should they see a problem?
Posted by Mountain Cat on September 11, 2007 11:20 AMGolden chose to sprawl into that area north of the main part of town up Highway 93. That was Golden's choice. Noone forced them to expand there.
As a result, Highway 93 continues to get busier and busier, thus the need to EITHER extend the NW Parkway through to complete the beltway, OR expand 93/Indiana/McIntyre Streets to somehow make it far easier and safer to get from Boulder to Golden/Lakewood...
As far as the new residents along Highway 93, I consider them to be completely irrelevant in this matter. They chose to move there, they had to figure that 93 was eventually going to be widened/expanded. I feel the same way towards them as I would towards someone moving near DIA who dares complain about noise. Screw 'em!
Aaron
Aaron, you are completely missing the point.
Widening 93/Indiana/McIntyre/Easley would be supported by the majority over building a beltway, and studies have shown that this widening of existing roads is the most efficient option. The problem is that the new operators of the Northwest Parkway and a few large landowners are trying to force a tollway to be built to directly feed their for-profit operations at the expense of people trying to go from point A to point B. They already succeeded in getting a non-compete agreement prohibiting road improvements within five miles of the current NW Parkway alignment. If they built an extension, you can be sure they would demand the same, meaning 93/Indiana/McIntyre would be forever two lanes.
Posted by Driver93 on September 11, 2007 03:54 PM