[bouldercouncilhotline] Hotline: Update on some transportation issues

[cmosupport at bouldercolorado.gov]

Sender: Appelbaum, Matt

Hi everyone.  Here's a rather belated update on some regional transportation issues:

US36 celebrations: I represented Boulder at two events; I've lost track of how many such celebrations there have been as we've applauded progress and completion of both construction stages for bus, bike, and managed lane, along with the roll-out of the Flatiron Flyer.  These two were, I think, the final ones, first for the managed lane completion to Boulder, and second for the bikeway.  Yes, I did bike (along with city staff) to both of them; it's a nice, if rather noisy, ride.  Not only is it nice to have this finally complete, but it's important for us to be part of these events since Boulder was quite successful in obtaining the outcome it wanted: a managed bus/HOV/toll lane + bikeway and not, as many initially preferred, simply adding additional general-purpose lanes to the turnpike.

Rail horn noise: I attended, along with Kathleen Bracke of our transportation staff, a meeting in Loveland regarding this important issue.  Thanks to our congressional delegation, the head of the FRA (Federal Railroad Administration) was there, as were Sens. Gardner (whom I sat next to and chatted with quite a bit) and Bennet and Rep. Polis.  There were reps from many of the cities along rail corridors to our north.  There was a prior gathering in Fort Collins that we didn't attend; FC has perhaps the most intrusive rail noise issue since rail runs right through the center of town and does so rather frequently.  I think the key complaint was that the current FRA regs are simply noise rules and not really safety rules, in that they are one-size-fits-all and don't account for location, train speed, car speed, actual danger, other potential solutions, etc.  I can't say there seemed to be much progress on that front, since as far as I could tell the FRA is afraid to change anything since they might then be blamed for an accident, and it's just easier for them to keep things as they are (for those who don't know, some years back the sound level and duration of train horns was increased significantly; prior to that, while train horns were certainly still loud and annoying it was much less an issue).  The only small hope I came away with is that is it at least conceivable that the FRA would allow for some pilot projects testing alternative solutions, and that the most likely place for that would be in Fort Collins.  Our delegation will most certainly keep the pressure on, but this will not be something that is resolved quickly.

WestConnect: For those who don't know, WestConnect is focused on the corridor from Boulder along Hwy 93 through Golden and down C-470.  It was started by the communities that are trying to get the Jefferson Parkway constructed.  We became involved, along with Boulder County and Superior, because Golden insisted we be added.  The key here, I think, is that the study underway is being run by, and largely paid for by, CDOT, so it's essential we be at the table.  CDOT is not explicitly looking at the Jeffco Pkwy, but at the existing roads and how they could be improved, and what that would do to the level of congestion and safety.  While most of the critical work is done by the technical working group (on which Boulder has a member), the policy group (on which I sit, and which meets just a few times a year) is rather important in that we set the key policy guidelines and framework.  Needless to say, the Jeffco Pkwy proponents presume that the study will demonstrate the need for such a new road, while several of us try to ensure that CDOT will carefully evaluate existing roads - and I must say that so far CDOT seems to be handling this very well.  We also got a presentation on CDOT's work on new transportation technology, like driverless cars, and how that might affect this study (we thought that it should be considered) and CDOT's overall planning.  If you'd like more info on this I have presentation materials and minutes.

--Matt