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Transportation Element
Background & Existing Conditions
Summit County’s residents and visitors depend upon a reliable transportation system in order to access recreation, shopping, services, and places of employment. In general, the County’s system of roads, along with transit and non-motorized alternatives (e.g., bike paths), provides reliable service. However, as the population and visitation grow in the future, it will be important to continue to provide safe and efficient transportation systems. These transportation systems should at a minimum be maintained at the current level of service. Having an efficient transportation system is critical in order for the County to remain competitive with other communities that rely heavily on tourism.
There are some opportunities for increasing capacity on the County roadways. However, opportunities for construction of new arterials and roadways connecting the County’s urban areas are almost non-existent, because of geographic limitations and other factors. In addition, the cost of constructing and maintaining new roadways is tremendous. As a result, we will need to rely more heavily in the future on alternatives to the automobile. There are already time periods when traffic volumes are unacceptable to many residents and visitors. An example is driving through the Town of Breckenridge in the late afternoon on a busy skier weekend. In order to avoid more gridlock and “urban traffic problems” the County will need to be aggressive in providing an array of transportation options to area residents and visitors. A comprehensive approach to transportation needs to be taken, coordinating the various alternative modes into a network that connects residences to commercial and employment areas, recreation, and schools.
Roads
Interstate 70 (I-70) runs east to west, bisecting the County and moving thousands of vehicles on a daily basis through the County. In addition, state highways 6 and 9 provide major movement arterials connecting the communities of Keystone, Dillon, Silverthorne, Frisco, and Breckenridge. County roads such as the Swan Mountain Road and Dillon Dam Road provide additional critical links between the County’s urban areas. Other county and town roads serve as collectors providing access to local roads. The mountainous geography of the County precludes most possibilities for alternative routes between major urban areas. Therefore, the existing system of roads will continue to serve as the primary routes in the County. Some opportunities for widening of lanes exist. Hwy 6 was recently expanded to four lanes between Dillon and Summit Cove. Expansion of Hwy 9 to four lanes between Frisco and Breckenridge is currently being evaluated.
Where lane expansions do occur, an analysis of the use of extra lanes as High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes should be explored. HOV lanes provide a good incentive for people to utilize transit or participate in carpools, as traffic typically is less congested in HOV lanes.
One issue related to roads in the County is character. The width of roadways and other factors (e.g., cut and fill slopes on steep hillsides) can have dramatic impacts on the existing character of the County’s landscapes. This Transportation Element emphasizes designing roadways so that they blend with the natural landscape, as opposed to contrasting with the landscape.
A major player in discussion of highway issues is the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT). CDOT is responsible for construction and maintenance of I-70, as well as the County’s three state highways (Hwy 6, Hwy 9, and Hwy 91). The construction and maintenance practices used by CDOT have a huge impact on the efficiency and safety of the County’s roads and can also have direct impacts on our environment (e.g., noise berms, road sanding and runoff). Future road and highway issues must be carefully coordinated with CDOT.
Transit
The Summit Stage provides free bus service between all major urban areas of the County. Other bus systems are operated by the Town of Breckenridge and the resorts of Keystone, Copper Mountain, and Breckenridge. Utilizing one or a combination of these transit systems, it is possible for persons to travel between the urban areas of the County. Because each of these systems is run independently, there could be a better coordination between the different systems to integrate service and increase efficiencies. Moreover, the local school district has an entire fleet of buses that are generally not in operation on weekends or during part of each weekday. Cooperation with the school district could increase opportunities as well.
Ridership has increased dramatically on these transit systems in the last few years. For example, ridership on the Summit Stage increased almost four-fold in a ten year period (see chart below). However, there is a need to continue to increase ridership as an alternative to increased vehicle trips on our roadways. More effective marketing of the different free transit systems available in the County could help continue to increase ridership. Particularly, this marketing could be helpful in enticing more visitors who are unaware of the service to use it.
Another thing that could be done to increase transit use is to make it more accessible. Increasing accessibility can involve adding different routes in areas currently not served. However, accessibility is also impacted by proximity of bus stops and shelters to residents’ and visitors’ homes. Sidewalks and pedestrian paths can greatly enhance the opportunities for riders to access transit stops. The development of such amenities should be considered and undertaken in areas that currently are deficient in pedestrian paths and in new development proposals.
Pedestrian access by some transit users may be unfeasible given proximity of the nearest transit stop to the user’s residence. An additional enhancement for these types of situations could be through the improvement of existing and the development of new park-and¬ride facilities, allowing more opportunities for transit users to drive to the bus stop.
Other Alternative Modes
Other options are available to help alleviate congestion on local roadways. These options include pedestrian access in commercial business areas and pedestrian opportunities between residential areas or places of employment/commercial areas. Increasing availability of the pedestrian path system is one way to increase pedestrian use. Another method is to promote compact forms of urban development that either mix residential and commercial uses or put residential uses within close proximity of commercial services, places of employment, and public facilities. Another option, exercised by a number of locals particularly in the summer, is use of the County recpath system to commute to work.
Continued enhancements and additions to the recpath system can help increase this seasonal use. In addition, construction of wider shoulders on major County roadways can provide increased opportunities for bicycle use. Bike and pedestrian enhancements also have the benefit of promoting active and healthy lifestyles. The community at large benefits from having healthier residents. There are numerous studies that demonstrate a direct link between active lifestyles and decreased medical expenditures.
Increasing the amount of people in cars can help reduce the number of cars on the road. Thus, the promotion and use of carpools, both locally and from Front Range visitors, can help alleviate transportation issues in the County.
Parking
Parking is a fundamental component in a comprehensive transportation network. Road improvements and increased capacity must be accompanied by the provision of adequate parking in necessary locations. Parking can be in short supply in some County locations at peak periods (e.g., Silverthorne Factory Stores during Christmas season). However, the biggest parking issues are experienced at the ski resorts. On busy weekends and peak season periods, parking for skiers at the resorts can be inadequate to accommodate all vehicles. As a result, parking often spills over onto state highway and County road rights-of-way and other areas where it is not legally allowed, at times resulting in a number of safety and maintenance (e.g., plowing) problems.
Need for parking at the resorts has been exacerbated in recent years as vacant lots that were previously used as parking lots are converted to residential and commercial uses. As future development occurs and this conversion continues, it is critical to maintain the existing number of parking spaces at the resorts (and possibly increase if demand dictates). The resorts (and towns) must continue to work on programs that help alleviate parking congestion problems, such as more efficiently using existing parking spaces, and increasing the use of mass transit and car pooling. A coordinated approach to addressing parking is preferable, as parking decisions made in one area can have an impact on another. For example, if Copper Mountain charged a fee for all its parking, it is likely that there would be dramatic increases in the number of people who park in Frisco and take a bus to the resort. Related to this discussion is a need to provide more park-and-ride opportunities for residents and visitors.
Transportation Planning
Planning for the different components of transportation has been in a piecemeal fashion in the County, usually focusing on one road project or recpath improvement at a time. The Summit Stage is in the process of updating its operating plan, which provides a comprehensive long range look at the Stage’s future. However, the Stage is not the only transit provider in the County. CDOT has a six-year plan for road improvements. The County has a 20-year plan for road maintenance. Road improvements (e.g., widening) on County roads are the responsibility of developers or local homeowners. There currently is no plan that attempts to coordinate the various components of our transportation system or identify when levels of service dictate improvements. This Transportation Element recommends that such a plan should be undertaken.
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