Friday, September 27, 2002
FHWA 40-02
Contact: Steve Moler
Tel: 415-744-3103
FHWA Announces Plan For Guanella Pass Road With Project That Supports Mobility,
Respects Environment
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway
Administration (FHWA) today announced the selection, as FHWA’s preferred
alternative, of a plan to upgrade Guanella Pass Road in Colorado.
The action is in the project’s final environmental impact statement (FEIS)
released by FHWA to the public today.
FHWA Administrator Mary Peters characterized the project as
an ideal example of a transportation project development philosophy called
context-sensitive design. Context-sensitive design is intended to provide a
safe, efficient transportation system that is sensitive to the human and natural
environment.
“As now proposed, the Guanella Pass Road project is a
great example of context-sensitive design in action:
creating a safer facility that serves the needs of local residents and
visitors alike while respecting the surrounding environment,” Peters said.
“We are committed to continuing our close and effective partnership
with local officials and communities in the area on this project.”
The road, which extends about 23 miles from Georgetown in
Clear Creek County south to Grant in Park County, was built in the 1950s and is
in need of upgrading. Through more
than 11 years of environmental and engineering analysis, reconnaissance and
scoping reports, numerous public meetings and one-on-one meetings with major
stakeholders, FHWA developed six alternatives, including a no-build option, for
the road. After extensive
consultation with local residents, businesses and elected officials, the FHWA
identified Alternative 6 as its preferred alternative.
FHWA said that Alternative 6 minimizes full reconstruction
yet improves safety, enhances the environment, and reduces maintenance, all in
support of the purpose and need of the project. FHWA has reduced the design of the road to the greatest
extent possible so that the road closely follows the existing road and the
impact on previously undisturbed areas is minimized. Also, FHWA would construct
a 7th Street Bridge in Georgetown to minimize the impact that construction
traffic would have on local traffic and businesses in the Georgetown area. The
agency will also develop construction schedules to accommodate businesses along
Guanella Pass Road.
Under the preferred alternative, about 63 percent of the roadway improvements will consist of rehabilitation, which means most work would remain within the existing roadway. About 18 percent of the project would involve light reconstruction, where work would remain within previously disturbed areas of the existing roadway, and about 19 percent will include full reconstruction, where work would extend outside the existing roadway.
Under federal law, FHWA cannot
issue its final decision, called a record of decision, any earlier than 30 days
after publication of the FEIS. However,
because of public interest in this project, FHWA has extended this period an
additional 30 days. If significant
concerns are raised or new ideas or issues presented, the FHWA will take them
under consideration as part of the public involvement process.
FHWA said that context-sensitive design is not an added
federal mandate or an additional step in the project development process.
Rather, it is philosophy and an approach that involves all stakeholders
in developing a transportation facility that fits its physical setting and
preserves scenic, aesthetic, historic, and environmental resources, while
maintaining safety and mobility. It
considers the total context within which a transportation improvement project
will exist.
Copies of the FEIS and supporting technical reports can be found on the Internet at http://www.cflhd.gov/projects/co/guanella/index.htm, and at the following locations beginning today:
Federal Highway Administration, 555 Zang Street,
Environment (3rd floor), Lakewood, CO
Clear
Creek County Government Bldg, 405 Argentine Street, Georgetown, CO
Tomay
Memorial Library, 604 6th Street, Georgetown, CO
Park County Library, 418 Main Street, Fairplay, Colorado
Park
County Library, 350 Bulldogger Road, Bailey, CO
Park
County Clerk and Recorder, 501 Main Street, Fairplay, CO
Denver
Public Library, 10 West 14th Avenue, Denver, CO
Arapaho/Roosevelt
National Forest, 240 West Prospect Street, Fort Collins, CO
Arapaho/Roosevelt
National Forest, 101 Chicago Creek, Idaho Springs, CO
Pike/San
Isabel National Forest, 1920 Valley Drive, Pueblo, CO
Pike/San
Isabel National Forest, 19316 Goddard Ranch Court, Morrison, CO
US
Forest Service, Region 2, 740 Simms Street, Golden, CO
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