Why We Should Oppose a Beltway Toll Road,

And Advocate for Improvements to Existing Roads.

One of the things I've learned working on transportation policy is its complexity...and the Beltway Toll Road proposed in northwest Jefferson County is no exception.

From Golden's perspective, it is apparent that SH93 is dangerous and needs improvements. But the question is, what specific improvements make sense? Do we want (or need) a six-lane, 65 mph beltway through Golden, a town that has been in existence since the late 19 th century. A major highway dissecting the town may damage the esthetics of this historic place. Beyond the esthetics, the noise decibels would be intolerable for residents due to the highway's proximity to homes. Some places are worth preserving, and Golden may be one of them. However, if the argument against a Beltway ended here, I think Golden's position would be weak. But like all transportation projects, the issue is far more complex.

Some knowledgeable folks believe the best solution is to widen SH93 to four lanes, and limit speeds to 45 mph. Combined with new overpasses through Golden, and also widening Indiana/McIntyre to four lanes, this plan would satisfy traffic demand through Golden and Arvada for the next 25 years. This plan would also cost 50% less than a Beltway Toll Road ($600 million for improved roads versus $1.2 billion for the Beltway Toll Road). Supporting this notion, two major studies (1) over the past 19 years recommend this same plan - and CDOT eliminated it from consideration months ago.

What All Denver Residents Should Know

It's no secret that Colorado faces massive transportation funding challenges. Politicians are looking for a quick fix, and some think toll roads are the magic bullet because they're built with private money, which is more easily accessible through the bond markets. Nationally, the trend is getting so big that the surge of money into America's toll roads have Wall Street concerned, and Standard & Poors issued an investor warning last year. (2)

While there have been successful toll roads in Colorado, there have also been failures, most notably the Northwest Parkway Toll Road, which connects Broomfield to Denver International Airport. This toll road has realized only 50% of its original projected revenues. As a result, the tolling authority was forced to refinance the bonds by leasing the toll road to a Spanish consortium, saving it from default. When asked why this happened, Steve Hogan, director of the Northwest Parkway said "Our (projected) numbers were a little high". (3) The scheme here is obvious - the tolling authority, made up of local elected officials, collude with their "expert" consultants to give the bond market a rosy picture. When it becomes obvious the revenues aren't there, they refinance the debt to someone else. In the end, the city gets a low-cost road to spur development, and consultants and road builders go home rich. The Norwest Parkway toll road was built for the wrong reasons - to spur development, and without a sound justification. The concern is the proposed Beltway will include a 4 lane toll road through Arvada. With huge amounts of development money at stake in Arvada, can history repeated itself?

Fact Over Fiction

Fact: The Beltway issue has been analyzed thoroughly, resulting in two major studies (1). Both studies were done by well-qualified firms, both studies were supported by a broad consensus of local governments, and both studies reached the same conclusion: A Beltway connection was not necessary and was too expensive. The best solution was to improve SH93 and Indiana/McIntyre to four lanes. The consistent conclusions beg the question: how did both studies reach the same conclusion? The answer is: land use.

Consider the vast majority of land in the northwest Jeffco is not developable, including Rocky Flats, Jefferson and Boulder County open space, and the Lyden gas fields and dump. This area will never be another "Highlands Ranch" because the economic opportunity does not exist, and as a result, there is no demonstrated or quantifiable need for a Beltway connection.

Some of the land in northwest Jeffco is open space, which means it has been set aside and protected from development, preserving the natural mountain backdrop - a notion formally supported by Rep. Mark Udall. Unfortunately, Jeffco County Commissioners believe we have too much open space, and we should develop more land. Citizens might consider that space enhance our property values. A natural mountain backdrop makes Denver a special place. Some economic truths are self-evident, and this is one.

The Numbers

Another new study (4)was recently released, this one focusing specifically on the proposed toll road section through Arvada -- and the news is grim. The report done by CRA International came to two important conclusions: First, a new toll road connection will have virtually no effect on increasing traffic on to the Northwest Parkway Toll Road; and second, a new toll road would run a projected deficit of $513 million over 35 years. Supporters argue that a new toll road is a "good deal" for us because it's privately funded, but we've already spent $15 million on a flailing Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) - all tax money. This doesn't sound like a good deal.

Arvada's Fiasco

The City of Arvada's support of the Beltway Toll Road deserves mentioned. The city hopes that a toll road near their western boundary will bolster development and stuff city coffers. A handful of land owners and developers near the Jeffco airport also see dollar signs. As a tax payer, we must wonder why tax money should be used to support a toll road. Maybe the special interests who want a toll road should underwrite the effort themselves, and leave public money out of the deal.

It's also important to note that Arvada was originally planning a large portion of commercial development in this area, and commercial development generates a greater tax base for the county. While this was the "original" plan, Arvada is now in the process of re-zoning large portions of this land to residential, which is counterproductive to the county's fiscal goals. In the end, Arvada's greed for a toll road is becoming a joke - they might want talk with the folks in Broomfield.

Improprieties & Incompetence

The Beltway controversy would be incomplete if I didn't mention certain improprieties. Our past Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) chief, Tom Norton changed the goal of the Beltway from "improved mobility" to "make a connection" - an obvious attempt to establish a predetermined outcome. Consider current Regional CDOT Commissioner, Joe Jehn. He personally lobbied Arvada City Council (5) to benefit his developer-client who would benefit from a Beltway. Resolve, the company hired to manage the public input process for the Beltway EIS resigned from the project due to ethical concerns and what they believed was a corrupted EIS process.

Beltway supporters, including Jeffco Commissioners are preaching the economic benefits of a Beltway to stimulate growth and build a larger tax base for the county. Interestingly, the Commissioners have never put forth any evidence that supports this claim. Why hasn't the economic benefit, if any, been determined a long time ago? Wouldn't this be one of the first steps to determine the economic justification? The thought process here (or lack of) troubles me. Commissioners McCasky and Congrove's seats come up in 2008.

Now And The Future

The Draft EIS, the precursor to the EIS has been delayed for months. CDOT has been hush, and Beltway supporters are in a possible quandary. The toll toad, the easiest section to finance does not work as a viable road. Only an act of Congress can save it - (don't laugh, it could happen).

Most people are now convinced that this EIS, in its current form, will fail to gain public support , or support by the Governor. The end result may be no action, and this EIS will go quietly into the night. The downside is we are stuck with no improvements and dangerous roads. Plus, $15 million has been wasted on a sham EIS.

In September of last year, before the upcoming election, I thought it was a good idea to meet with the gubernatorial candidates on the Beltway. I tried to talk to Bob Beauprez, but he was too busy. I did get the opportunity to meet with Bill Ritter. After hearing our case, Mr. Ritter nodded and said our story was, "typical of CDOT". As we know, Mr. Ritter is now Governor, and Russ George is the new CDOT Director. A change offers some hope that we will get real transportation solutions in northwest Jeffco.

While transportation issue are complex, the Beltway Toll Road controversy can be boiled down to a lack of need. A line on a map may look good, but the facts don't justify the expense, and the facts bear out little or no benefit to tax payers. And the last time I checked, multi-million dollar public policy decisions should be based on fact -- not conjecture, not greed, not NIMBY-ness - just the facts. We must advocate for fiscally responsible transportation policy, and support widening SH93 and Indiana/McIntyre to four lanes. This plan will improve traffic flow, reduce congestion, and costless. It's time to move past a Beltway Toll Road pipedream, and get serious about smart transportation.

The Denver Post Editorial Board recently said,

... smart investors would probably shun such a new Toll Road. Upgrading existing roads - including Indiana Street, Colorado 72 and 93, and U.S. 6 - may be the best way to improve mobility in the northwest metro area. (4/13/07)

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Rob Media is President of CINQ, Citizens Involved in the Northwest Quadrant, a grass-roots citizen's group seeking realistic and responsible traffic solutions for the Northwest Quadrant. He has run his own marketing and advertising firm for the past 11 years. Rob also has an MBA from Regis University, and is a member of Denver West Trout Unlimited. He resides in Golden. www.GoTheBetterWay.com 720.261.2058

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