Title
Authorization for Mayor to sign Letter of Support for I-70
Body
Summary and Background Information:
For more than a decade, the purpose of the Interstate 70 (I-70) East Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) has been to identify highway improvements along I-70 between I-25 and Tower Road that would improve safety, access, and mobility and address congestion. The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) released a draft EIS analyzing four alternatives, two on the existing alignment and two realignment alternatives along I-270. No preferred alternative was identified in the draft EIS. Extensive comments from the public, stakeholders, elected officials, and public agencies indicated a lack of strong support for any of the four alternatives identified in the document. Most comments received during the DEIS public comment period - including those from Commerce City - focused on concerns about the realignment alternatives (Alternatives 4 and 6), air quality and traffic analysis, and environmental justice and community cohesion mitigation strategies.
Due to a lack of strong support for any of the 2008 DEIS alternatives, CDOT and FHWA initiated a collaborative process to identify a preferred alternative. The Preferred Alternative Collaborative Team (PACT) was formed in July 2010, consisting of a group of stakeholders representing federal and state agencies, local governments (including Commerce City), and community and business interests. After extensive deliberations, including two corridor-wide meetings, the PACT did not reach consensus on a preferred alternative; although, the realignment was not preferred by the group.
After the conclusion of the PACT process, the City and County of Denver initiated an outreach effort with several community work groups, with more than 90 participants. This outreach developed a list of neighborhood goals and expectations to be considered when CDOT and FHWA select the preferred alternative. The state reviewed the alterna...
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