I-70 Mountain Corridor

I-70 Mountain Corridor

The I-70 Mountain Corridor will be a 144-mile route through Colorado’s mountains, on the existing I-70 highway. Its goals are to improve accessibility and mobility and decrease congestion along the corridor.

This is a very important project to take care now itself as it is the main access point to Colorado’s high-elevation recreation areas which also generates over 12 percent of the state’s $19.1 billion in revenue in 2015. The main problem is that the CDOT estimates that the I-70 travel times will triple or quadruple by 2035. According to a study done that year by the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce and the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation, it is expected to lose more than $800 million every year.

“The long-term vision for the 144-mile route on I-70 through Colorado’s mountains includes a broad program of transit, highway, safety, and other improvements. Implementing planned improvements will increase capacity, improve accessibility and mobility, and decrease congestion along the corridor. The Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision, approved in 2011, provides background to how the solution was developed, details the improvements, and provides a framework for implementation of specific projects in the Corridor as funding allows. This decision is referred to as the Tier 1 decision” (CODOT).

The project is going to cost $3.5 billion. It is still in planning stages.

A picture of the proposed project (Image Credits: CoDOT)

Puget Sound Gateway

Puget Sound Gateway

Washington state’s project will expand highways to relieve traffic and congestion between Seattle and Tacoma. It is also expected to increase the ease and efficiency of the transport of commercial goods along the routes and to the ports and solve the ‘last-mile’ problem. WSDOT also claims the project would reduce congestion through the region The project is expected to cost $2.8 billion. At present, it is “in planning” stage. “The majority ($1.57 billion) comes from the Connecting Washington Revenue Package, tolling revenue is expected to be $180 million, and local contributions will be $130 million. PSRC has provided $8 million in regionally managed federal funds to Gateway-related projects” (PSRC.org). Other major stakeholders in this project include the Port of Seattle, the Port of Tacoma, and several local jurisdictions.

A picture of the proposed project (Image Credits: WSDOT)