I 70 sucks

[tball]

You seem to think CDOT has unlimited resources to do these things. Mitigation requires teams of people, even with Gasex exploders, and the teams aren't interchangeable with all CDOT staff. Their foremost priority is to keep people safe and roads open. Sometimes that means doing mitigation when it ain't convenient for skiers. If you want to learn more, I recommend listening to this recent podcast featuring the head of avalanche mitigation for CDOT. https://soundcloud.com/user-23585762/the-avalanche-hour-podcast-episode-310-jamie-yount

Thanks for the podcast link. There was no mention of resource constraints in the podcast, thankfully, and it was great to hear about the extensive resources CDOT has for avalanche forecasting and mitigation.

The podcast actually gave me a great deal of hope!

The new head of Avi for CDOT, Jamie Yount, gets it and is going to implement changes that make the I-70 mess Friday morning less likely.

Specifically, they are going to begin nighttime mitigation. Nighttime mitigation has fewer travel impacts and lowers public risks as opposed to waiting until morning, as they did Friday causing me to bump this thread, the Friday before President's Day!.

CDOT will do nighttime mitigation work with both remote detonation devices and even howitzers. The plan is to also to add additional remote detonation devices every year going forward. One of their many benefits is they make nighttime mitigation straightforward.

It was fantastic to hear Jamie Yount's tone around the priorities for his organization. First is to keep the public and his team safe. Second, is to keep the damn roads open and efficient!

You can hear him talk about nighttime mitigation and the organization's priorities starting at 36:52 with this link:
https://soundcloud.com/user-23585762/the-avalanche-hour-podcast-episode-310-jamie-yount#t=36:52

Here's hoping the head of CDOT's snow removal operations reassess priorities on Loveland Pass. They certainly haven't made the same effort to keep the damn road open as they did 15 or 20 years ago, and I believe they should.

They keep Berthoud Pass open. They can also keep Loveland Pass open, as they did in the past.

CDOT can't justify a couple billion dollars for a third tunnel bore when they are not using the existing two bores most efficiently. Closing the tunnel for 15 minutes every hour for hazmat trucks that could otherwise go over Loveland Pass if they just plowed the road is ridiculous.

 

[Mike King]

https://coloradosun.com/2019/02/17/...-option-than-risking-a-catastrophe-in-tunnel/

 

[Wolfski]

Saturday 2/16/19 only 2 1/2 hours to get to Breck
Left DTC at 5:30AM

 

[Mike King]

Saturday 2/16/19 only 2 1/2 hours to get to Breck
Left DTC at 5:30AM

Good God, that’s ridiculous. Glad I bought a place in Snowmass. We really need to do something about transportation infrastructure in Colorado.

 

[scott43]

Good God, that’s ridiculous. Glad I bought a place in Snowmass. We really need to do something about transportation infrastructure in Colorado.

Probably have to find some money first..

 

[EricG]

Probably have to find some money first..

Doesn't it grow on trees? Or is that just the capital needed for the dispensary business.

 

[Doug Briggs]

Probably have to find some money first..

Doesn't it grow on trees? Or is that just the capital needed for the dispensary business.

We could start be rescinding TABOR. While it was an (ill-conceived) attempt at controlling government spending, I don't think underfunding CDOT and returning windfall tax revenue from dispensary sales that could have been put to use by schools is doing anyone any good.

 

[scott43]

We could start be rescinding TABOR. While it was an (ill-conceived) attempt at controlling government spending, I don't think underfunding CDOT and returning windfall tax revenue from dispensary sales that could have been put to use by schools is doing anyone any good.

And it just seems like big infrastructure projects these days take forever and are chronically and hopelessly over-budget. It's such a political circus..and I'm not singling out Colorado. We have the same issues here..

And ultimately, highway infrastructure is generally built to enable land development. Even though there is land development in ski country..I wouldn't classify it as true development..

 

[Doug Briggs]

And it just seems like big infrastructure projects these days take forever and are chronically and hopelessly over-budget. It's such a political circus..and I'm not singling out Colorado. We have the same issues here..

And ultimately, highway infrastructure is generally built to enable land development. Even though there is land development in ski country..I wouldn't classify it as true development..

The interstate system was initially designed to provide transport options for the military. It is currently used extensively for interstate commerce.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_Highway_System#History

 

[Muleski]

No need to pile on about what a mess it is. We're East coasters with adult kids who have lived year round in the Vail Valley, and in Aspen. We have family and close friends in Steamboat. My wife went to DU in the 70's. I have a long connect to Vail, since before the lifts first spun in 1965. Let's say that we have visited and skied a LOT. And yep, as you all know, I-70 is an issue. One of our kids is working in the business elsewhere, and we now plan flights to avoid driving up from DIA. The last few horror shows, on multiple trips were no fun. BTW, one of our kids left a conference in Boulder early on a Friday afternoon a couple of weeks ago and took eight hours to get home in Aspen. With a new AWD car, and new studded snows. She has probably driven 200K miles in crappy winter weather. She can drive.

I would think there is tremendous pressure to fix that mess, as it's not good for the ski industry and tourism. It also can't be good for commercial traffic, either. I'm astounded by how much complaining I hear, back East. Now, along the lines of Ikon being a lightning rod, I'm sure that Front Rangers would love to have people stay away. That's probably not a great long term solution.

Yeah, it will cost a bundle. This is coming from a Bostonian who lived through the "Big Dig" which in the end, years later, made a huge difference in our downtown traffic. The final tally: $24 Billion. Most expensive highway project in U.S. History. It's only money, a lot of money. You have plenty of elected officials. Have them start to source it.

It's long, long overdue. A start might be to get more serious with tire and chain control. I can't believe the crap boxes, both cars and trucks, that I see people driving....almost all with out of state tags. OR, the people in rentals with what looks like terror in their driving. Make the rental car companies provide AWD, FWD and appropriate tires. The last time we drove I-70, we had rented an Audi A4 with winter tires. Dodging the rear wheel drive trucks with near cheater slick tires, and the family of seven pushing their old Honda Civic up hill...in the traffic lane....was something that sadly we had recently become used to.

That's not even considering the hold ups at the tunnels with the hazmat loads. BTDT, too.

Best of luck dealing with it. Serious lack of foresight in not wrestling with it a LONG time ago, and I realize it's not easy.

 

[EricG]

We could start be rescinding TABOR. While it was an (ill-conceived) attempt at controlling government spending, I don't think underfunding CDOT and returning windfall tax revenue from dispensary sales that could have been put to use by schools is doing anyone any good.

We spent the winter of 17 and the summer of 17 out there trying to decide if we were going to make CO or VT our primary home base. We lived there from 03-10 before the kids were born and the traffic was bad then. But when I came back in 17 it was just too much. We still have a place in Breck, but its worth more to us as a rental than a part time residence. I just couldn't deal with bringing the family back & forth on I70 anymore. When I left the idea of an I70 corridor rail was still being discussed, I guess that idea of long gone now?

 

[Ken_R]

i70 this morning, 6:50am... You all know where this is

 

[coskigirl]

There is a reason I never ski President’s Day weekend even if I’m limited to every other weekend for skiing and this is one I’m otherwise able to ski. Just not worth it.

 

[Ken_R]

There is a reason I never ski President’s Day weekend even if I’m limited to every other weekend for skiing and this is one I’m otherwise able to ski. Just not worth it.

Copper was pretty chill surprisingly.

 

[scott43]

When I left the idea of an I70 corridor rail was still being discussed, I guess that idea of long gone now?

I'll eat my hat if a rail solution is actually built..

 

[givethepigeye]

You could just tell people to quit coming up like they do in CA

http://www.ktvu.com/news/tahoe-area...wn-motorists-please-stop-coming-up-here?=idee

^ bet that is going to work out just fine..........

 

[scott43]

I mean, the problem is self-limiting..eventually people will just stop going..or start changing their drive plans. What's the pain threshold that changes behaviour?

 

[UGASkiDawg]

Copper was pretty chill surprisingly.

Correct....even Timberline was reasonable and my last run today was knee deep blower untouched for the first couple hundred yards.

 

[SSSdave]

Just noticed that link made in post #59 was incorrect on the I-70 report of:

Avoiding I-70 Weekend Traffic: Best and Worst Times to Drive Into the Mountains

Some news web pages now annoyingly are switching to other stories if one stays on a given news sub-page too long. In any case if the report is correct, the real issue is too many people choosing to drive at the same time. Leaving from Denver before 5:30am or returning after 7pm avoids traffic except probably on holiday weekends. At 65 miles between Denver and Silverthorne, that pales against distance and times SF Bay Area skiers take to reach Tahoe. Thus leaving at 7pm one reaches there in 90 minutes or 8:30pm. Minus accidents, should not not be a big deal? Or explain? Likewise on the return same thing, leave after 7pm instead of when lifts close. Go have a dinner.

https://www.westword.com/news/the-best-and-worst-times-to-drive-into-the-mountains-on-i-70-from-denver-8920824

 

[scott43]

Found this with Google.. a great read... It's telling and very enlightening to understand that they don't even have revenue to rehabilitate existing structures...

https://www.5280.com/2017/03/can-i-70s-mountain-corridor-ever-be-fixed/