Meeting Review
Author: Julie Gordon
It's estimated that within the next 20 years, employment in the U.S. 36 corridor area will increase 114 percent and the population will increase 27 percent. As the corridor continues to grow and develop, one of the most pressing issues has been how to manage the increased traffic coming through.
Jennifer Heisler, of the design engineering planning firm Carter & Burgess, discussed the various ways traffic congestion in the corridor can be eased at Boulder Tomorrow's June 21 luncheon, which was held at the Regal Harvest House.
One possibility would be to widen U.S. 36 to six lanes and improve bus service. Other options include extending bus/High Occupancy Vehicle lanes, constructing a commuter rail on the Burlington Northern Sante Fe railroad, building a commuter rail along U.S. 36, and creating a "Dual Spur" commuter rail using the BNSF and U.S. 36.
Heisler covered the four transportation packages that are being proposed by Carter & Burgess' U.S. Major Investment Study, or MIS. These packages combine the various methods for reducing traffic, and all include minor roadway improvements.
Package No. 1 would add Bus Rapid Transit, or BRT/HOV lanes. BRT allows buses to operate like a rail system. Buses would operate in the bus/HOV lanes with online stations in the median of U.S. 36. The total cost of Package No. 1 would be $228.4 million.
Package No. 2 would add BRT/HOV lanes and regional rail. The regional rail would provide limited-stop service for longer distance trips. Stations would be at the following locations: 30th and Pearl in Boulder, 96th Street, Westminster, and downtown Denver. Trains would operate every 30 minutes during the rush hours and every 60 minutes at all other times. Having a regional rail would require upgrading the existing BNSF track and an operating agreement with the BNSF railroad. The regional rail would cost $180 million. The total cost of Package No. 2 would be $408.4 million.
Package No. 3 would add BRT/HOV lanes and an enhanced regional rail system. The enhanced regional rail would have the same stations as the regional rail. Trains would operate every 15 minutes during the rush hours and every 30 minutes at all other times. An additional track would be needed parallel to the existing BNSF track. The enhanced regional rail would cost $292 million. The total cost of Package No. 3 would be $520.4 million.
Package No. 4 would add a commuter rail on the BNSF and low-cost bus/HOV lanes. The commuter rail would have stations in Broomfield, Westminster and downtown Denver, and at 30th and Pearl, 96th Street, 72nd & Lowell, and 38th Avenue. Trains would operate every 7.5 minutes during the rush hours and every 15 minutes at all other times. Two new tracks would have to be built parallel to the existing BNSF track. The total cost of package No. 4 would be $621.1 million.
I think what we've heard loud and clear is no one mode works for everybody," Heisler said. "So when we come up with an alternative, we really need to package things so that everyone can get around. Mobility is really what we're looking at."
Carter & Burgess' MIS is analyzing the entire corridor area, from Boulder to Denver. The study is being done under contract with RTD and in cooperation with the Colorado Department of Transportation.
"We're dealing with eight cities and three counties as well as the major implementing agencies, CDOT and RTD," Heisler said. "So our job is to figure out some alternatives that will work for all of the communities along the corridor."
Heisler said the project began about two years ago. Two committees are guiding the study. One is a technical group composed of planners and engineers and another is a policy group comprised of elected officials. Carter & Burgess will analyze the different packages being proposed in the MIS again this fall and make recommendations to the RTD Board.
Heisler said several factors will be taken into account in the analysis, including cost, how many people would use each alternative, environmental factors and impacts, and the funding available.
"As you know, there's a shortage of transportation funds in the region," Heisler said. "And there's two other corridors right now that have come up with alternatives and are ready for the next step. That's the east corridor, which is rail out to the airport, and the west corridor, which light rail out to Lakewood. It's stiff competition for dollars out there."
Boulder Tomorrow President Earl McLaughlin said it has been frustrating waiting for the MIS study to be done when others are finished and ready to go. "There are limited resources and because we may lack leadership, we will be left behind," McLaughlin said. "It continues to be an uphill battle to get our leaders to think regional."
"Jennifer Heisler made a very excellent point in understanding the sequence decision-making that has to incur for any significant improvements to be made along U.S. 36," added Boulder Tomorrow board member Ken Hotard, who is senior vice president of public affairs for the Boulder Area Realtor's Association. "It's important for businesses to understand they need to communicate with public officials/decision makers in order to get these preferred alternatives adopted in the regional transportation plan and the state transportation plan in order to qualify for the necessary federal funding process. The process of securing funding is cumbersome and requires queuing up for access to limited funds."
"The importance of improvements to the U.S. 36 corridor should focus on access to businesses by employees, to retail centers by customers, and allowing the movement of goods and services into and out of the area. Some of the most cost-effective economic development and affordable housing expenditures that can be made by government is to improve citizens' mobility with regard to transportation infrastructure."
Hotard said he personally doesn't favor the commuter train option. He said he thinks there will be less people using commuter trains using the BRT lanes. "On it's face, commuter rail is penny-wise and dollar foolish," Hotard said.
Hotard said he would rather see money invested in expanded auto capacity and other transit alternatives such as light rail and BRT.
Heisler said everyone seems to have a different opinion about the best way to alleviate all of the present traffic on the U.S. 36 corridor, and it will be difficult to make everyone happy. "There's definitely support for roadway widening, and there's also support for increased bus service and rail," Heisler said.
"We're making an attempt to reach out to people, but I don't think we're hearing just one voice." The recommendation will need to be adopted by the RTD Board, then added to the long-range transportation plan, Heisler said.
One member of the audience asked why it was necessary to have buses and rail systems at the same time. "We have very strong input from our community that at some point, we're going to need to have some different options, some longer-term options," Heisler explained.
"The alternative rail we have serves a different market. It hits Louisville, and has the option to extend up to Longmont. So we're looking at a longer-distance trip and unlimited service. That was a recommendation that we do some kind of combination. There's also a very strong feeling that that we've heard from people that people don't like to take buses. There was a feeling that a rail option would really encourage people to use transit." Heisler said light rail wasn't ever considered for the U.S. 36 corridor due to the corridor's length and the nature of light rail.
"We rejected light rail for this corridor, primarily because the corridor is so long," Heisler said.
"Light rail is meant to accelerate and decelerate very quickly and at very short station spacing. In this corridor, stations are much further apart. You can save about $1.8 million a mile by going to diesel electric technology, so we're looking in this corridor at the DMU (Diesel Multiple Unit) technology. It's self-propelled. It's meant for long-distance travel. It can actually operate on existing tracks, so that's another advantage."
More information about transportation issues surrounding the U.S. 36 corridor is available online at www.U.S.36.co.
Boulder Tomorrow's next luncheon meeting, which will offer a program entitled "It's the Economy," will take place at the Angel Pines Conference Center (5706 Arapahoe Road, just east of Arapahoe and 55th Ave.) at noon on July 24.
Preceding the luncheon at 11:15 a.m. is a press conference with speakers Dr. Tucker Hart-Adams, Phil Shul, chair of the Boulder Urban Renewal Authority (BURA); Steve Anderson, president of the Boulder Area Realtor's Association; and Caroline Hoyt, vice president of design at McStain Enterprises.
The luncheon itself will feature Dr. Tucker Hart-Adams, U.S. Bank's Rocky Mountain Chief Economist, who will discuss the economics of the U.S. 36 development and the region. A graduate of CU-Boulder, Hart-Adams has been forecasting Colorado's economy for many years.
