Ski areas support more lanes for I-70

SUMMIT COUNTY - Local ski area officials support adding lanes to the Interstate 70 corridor as a short-term solution to highway traffic congestion.

Vail Resorts wants added lanes in the near term along the 40-mile stretch between the Eisenhower Tunnel and Floyd Hill, said Rick Sramek, vice president of resort operations for Breckenridge Ski Resort.

The company at the same time wants to see mass transit options preserved in the right-of-way, Sramek said.

Ski resorts along the I-70 corridor are in general agreement that a short-term capacity increase is necessary to relieve traffic congestion, said Melanie Mills, vice president of public policy for Colorado Ski Country USA, a trade and marketing organization that represents 24 of the state's ski areas.

"The no-action approach is not acceptable," said Mills, who is leading discussions among members of the organization, including Summit County's resorts and those in Eagle and Pitkin counties.

Mills said the organization will submit comments on behalf of its members to the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), but it's too early to say if the resorts will come out in agreement on one of the nine proposed alternatives.

CDOT and the Federal Highway Administration recently opened public comment on its plans. The deadline to submit comments is May 24.

All of the alternatives proposed by CDOT are contingent on building new bores in the Eisenhower Tunnel and the Twin Tunnels in Clear Creek County.

Intrawest spokesman Matt Sugar said traffic tie-ups resulting from construction is a concern for the company, which owns Copper Mountain and Winter Park resorts.

"Certainly we're in for some discomfort so certainly we're concerned about it," Sugar said. "It will have an impact (on tourism) but we want to make the best decision for down the road."

Depending on which plan is chosen, construction could take 15 years.

Sramek said he hopes the timeframe could be accelerated.

"It's a major national thoroughfare; you'd think potential impacts on interstate commerce would come into play," he said.

Vail Resorts operates four ski areas along the corridor, including Breckenridge and Keystone Resort in Summit County.



Kim Marquis can be contacted at (970) 668-3998, ext. 249, or at kmarquis@summitdaily.com.