I-70

Yesterday Governor John Hickenlooper went on Colorado Public Radio for his monthly interview with Colorado Matters host Ryan Warner. Hickenlooper answered various questions on various subjects, and it was going smoothly until Warner asked the governor about his transportation department’s plan to widen I-70 through north Denver. Hickenlooper was all over the map. In the end, Hickenlooper tepidly … Continued

As new RTD rail lines open, Denver’s transit options are expanding. One challenge that comes with the expansion of rail is ensuring that long-time residents can continue to afford their homes and benefit from the improvements. Mile High Connects, an organization that advocates for people who depend on RTD, is calling on decision makers and advocates to come … Continued

What does a governor who won’t stop a zombie highway boondoggle look like? Brad Evans, who founded the rapidly growing “Ditch the I-70 Ditch” Facebook group, imagines something like this. “I did it because, really, Streetsblog came up with that ‘Highway Hick’ name and I just felt like someone needed to put a picture to it,” Evans said. “It’s designed … Continued

John Hickenlooper didn’t start the I-70 boondoggle, but it’s on track to get built on his watch. And he seems fine with that. In fact, he comes across as proud. Hickenlooper has stayed quiet about the massive highway expansion project slated for north Denver, and his office took its time before responding to Streetsblog’s inquiry about … Continued

With the groundswell of opposition to Colorado DOT’s plan to gouge a super-wide highway trench across north Denver, Governor John Hickenlooper has to know that city residents are angry about the prospect of more traffic ripping through their neighborhoods on a supersized I-70. Hickenlooper is the only person who can tell CDOT to stop the project, so Streetsblog reached out to his … Continued

North Denver neighborhood organizations and the Sierra Club filed a lawsuit in federal court today to stop Colorado DOT’s I-70 boondoggle, which will increase traffic and create more air pollution for generations to come if it’s built. The communities around the highway are exposed to elevated levels of particulate pollution, which leads to higher rates of chronic cardiovascular diseases. Widening … Continued

Colorado Public Radio aired a story today about the looming budget crunch facing Colorado DOT. In a nutshell, the agency can’t afford to maintain all the highways it’s built: Roads need upkeep. It often feels as though interstates need more lanes. And there’s constant pressure for more mass transit options, both to help folks get around – … Continued

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 … Continued

When Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper was Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, he learned that more lanes for cars don’t fix congestion — it just enables more cars to fill up the highway. Hickenlooper got the lesson in “induced demand” from all-star city planner Jeff Speck, the author of Walkable City, in 2004. Speck was in town for the Mayor’s … Continued