If Colorado DOT builds its I-70 widening project, north Denver will be saddled with more traffic, more pollution, and more disconnected neighborhoods for generations.

CDOT would have you believe the widening is a done deal, but it’s not — Governor John Hickenlooper could save the city from this relic of 1950s-era transportation planning if he chooses.

One window of opportunity to weigh in on the project is closing very soon. Today is the last day to comment on CDOT’s environmental impact study for the I-70 widening. Every voice calling for a more walkable, bikeable city instead of a gigantic traffic-generating trench will help.

If you want some inspiration, take a look at the above video. A group of Denver residents under the banner of Unite North Metro Denver have been fighting to reroute I-70 around north Denver and restore the city’s street grid to reconnect neighborhoods. Cities like San Francisco and New York have flourished after tearing down highways and using the land for housing, businesses, and parks.

CDOT hasn’t given that idea a fair shot, UNMD reps say. That’s one thing you could tell Hickenlooper and his DOT today — to take the re-route/teardown option seriously and invest in more city instead of more traffic.

A few other points worth noting:

• CDOT’s justification for the project is based on bogus traffic projections extrapolated from outdated travel surveys [PDF].
• Politicians and bureaucrats rammed the project through by tying funding for needed initiatives like flood control to the completion of this very unnecessary road widening.
• The I-70 widening was recently named one of the 12 most wasteful highway boondoggles in the nation.
• CDOT claims the greenhouse gas pollution resulting from the project will be negligible — even though it will generate more sprawl and lead people to burn more gas — because the agency compared those emissions to the emissions of the entire planet.

This is the last day to comment on CDOT’s EIS. You can also send a comment directly to Hickenlooper, and time won’t run out for those until the fat lady sings.