The April 16 deadline for town officials to decide to either move forward with the environmental assessment on a proposed downtown loop traffic realignment project or to take a No Action stance is coming quickly.
If the town gives approval to move forward with the EA at a special meeting on April 15, then the $17.2 million Federal Lands Access Program (FLAP) project will continue through its process. If the town takes a No Action stance, the project will be dropped.
If the project is dropped, it will be difficult for Estes Park officials to pursue this again in the future. And, if they do, they will have to get in line with other projects and wait their turn.
Local traffic problems have been mounting for the past 40 years, making visitors’ shopping and driving experiences less than desirable, according to several local surveys.
A recent floodplain map now shows the need to replace five downtown bridges, three of which would be replaced under the FLAP grant. Without the grant, it’s highly unlikely that the bridge replacements will occur anytime soon. The result of that is that a greater portion of the downtown area will exist in the new floodplain, a place where flood insurance rates are scheduled to increase 25 percent this year and next.
That’s why it’s so important now – more than ever – for the public to get correct information about this roadway project, say a number of local officials and representatives of various business organizations.
In an effort to address some of the concerns raised by the public in regard to the downtown looop, the Trail-Gazette is providing a brief history of the project and some answers to frequently asked questions by the public.
Downtown loop project history
The “Downtown Estes Loop” roadway realignment project isn’t new. It comes from previous transportation planning studies and public outreach activities for improving transportation downtown, according to information on the Town of Estes Park’s website www.downtownestesloop.com.
The recent effort actually has roots going back to 2003 when the Estes Valley Transportation Alternatives Study was completed. It identified potential improvements to the downtown street network including a one-way couplet system utilizing Elkhorn, Moraine and Riverside roadways.
The study also recommended many transit and parking improvements, which have been advanced and implemented over the last decade, including: implementation of transit service; completion of a 2013 Transit and Parking Study; and the planned Visitor Center Parking Structure.
Additionally, in 2012, the Roadmap to the Future report was completed by the Estes Park Transportation Visioning Committee, a citizen-led committee to develop a vision for Estes Park’s transportation system 20 years in the future. This report recommended 9 scenarios including: reroute U.S. Highway 36 to West Riverside, create one-way couplets on existing roadways, and re-route Rocky Mountain National Park traffic to West Riverside.
In the spring of 2013, the Town initiated a public outreach process to gather input on the community’s priorities for improving transportation downtown. The public weighed in on several transportation-related project options, one of which was the conversion of traffic through the core downtown area from two-way to one-way traffic, creating a loop which would increase capacity by up to 40 percent. This one-way couplet option was the majority of the participating public’s preferred solution to improve traffic flow.
The Estes Park Town Board voted to proceed with a competitive funding application for the one-way couplet. The Town submitted an application for funding through the Federal Lands Access Program (FLAP), administered through the Central Federal Lands Highway Division (CFLHD). The application was successful, and the Town was awarded $13 million in FLAP funds for construction of the one-way couplet concept. To secure federal funds, the FLAP program requires a local match. In order to secure matching funds, the Town partnered with the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) to submit an application for CDOT’s Responsible Acceleration of Maintenance and Partnerships (RAMP) program.
The Town was awarded $4.2 million through CDOT’s RAMP program for West Elkhorn Avenue. This funding will be used as both the local match for the FLAP funding, and to rehabilitate West Elkhorn Avenue (new pavement resurfacing, new striping and upgrades to signing). The terms of the RAMP application require that Estes Park take over ownership from CDOT of West Elkhorn Avenue from Moraine Avenue to West Wonderview Avenue (U.S. Highway 34).
The downtown loop, or one-way couplet, roadway realignment involves the conversion of Elkhorn Avenue from East Riverside Drive to Moraine Avenue, and Moraine Avenue south of Elkhorn Avenue to West Riverside Drive, into one-way thoroughfares for westbound traffic. Moraine Avenue will then revert to two-way traffic going west from the intersection.
In addition, a new one-way road for eastbound traffic will be constructed along a route similar to West Riverside Drive as it travels from Moraine Avenue to East Riverside Drive near Ivy Street, continuing to Elkhorn Avenue. At Elkhorn Avenue, east-bound traffic will become two-way again.
The environmental assessment (EA)
Federal agencies are required to integrate the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process into planning processes to ensure that planning and decisions consider environmental values.
An environmental assessment is one of those documents required to be in compliance with NEPA.
Regulations for implementing NEPA established by the President’s Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) require that federal agencies document their consideration of environmental values and provide opportunity for public involvement.
Under NEPA, an EA describes the effects that a federal action would have on the environment. An EA also describes the impacts of alternatives and identifies ways to avoid, minimize, or mitigate adverse impacts. The potential for both beneficial and adverse impacts must be considered.
Town officials are currently considering public opinion before making a decision on continuing with the EA. A special meeting will be held at 6 p.m. April 15 at the Estes Park Event Center, 1125 Rooftop Way. The public can attend and comment. Public comment will play an integral role in the town board’s decision. The board will make a decision at that meeting and notify federal officials on April 16, the deadline for moving forward with the EA.
Frequently asked questions
Here is a collection of questions we have heard from the community in regard to the downtown loop project:
Q: Is all the FLAP money earmarked for some part of the project or will it go into a big pot that the Town uses to pay for pieces of the project as they are completed? Also, will any of the FLAP monies be used on parking?
A: Central Federal Lands would manage the entire budget, utilizing the $13 million FLAP grant to pay for the project. As the local match, the Town will transfer RAMP funds from CDOT ($4.2 million for the devolution of West Elkhorn Avenue from CDOT to the Town) to CFL for the overall project budget.
Some of this budget may fund parking in that the final design may include new parking spaces/areas to mitigate/offset any parking spaces lost in order to build the one-way couplet. The addition of new parking in and of itself is not included in the grant funding. It would only be possible as mitigation of lost spaces due to construction.
Q: Will the downtown loop require that traffic goes one-way through the downtown corridor heading west on U.S. Highway 36 to Rocky Mountain National Park?
A: It would depend on one’s definition of “downtown.” For anyone who considers “downtown” to be strictly Elkhorn Avenue between Riverside Drive and Moraine Avenue and Moraine Avenue between Elkhorn Avenue and Crags Drive, then this is true. If the one-way couplet is built, traffic would become one-way westbound on Elkhorn Avenue from Riverside Drive to Moraine Avenue, and on Moraine Avenue to Crags Drive. Eastbound traffic would travel one-way through downtown to the south, from Crags Drive to Elkhorn Avenue, on a new road roughly aligned with East and West Riverside Drives. Two-way traffic will remain in place on Elkhorn Avenue east of Riverside Drive, and Elkhorn Avenue west of Moraine Avenue through the remainder of the “downtown” area.
Q: Will traffic returning from Rocky Mountain National Park be forced to go around downtown on a newly-constructed, one-way road from the intersection of Crags Drive/Moraine Avenue to the intersection at Riverside Drive/Moraine Avenue?
A: Again, this depends on one’s definition of “downtown.” Traffic returning from the national park via Moraine Avenue would travel one-way through downtown from Crags Drive to Elkhorn Avenue. But, this is still “downtown,” but not on the currently-accepted “main drag.” Unlike westbound traffic on the “main drag,” eastbound traffic would have greater visibility and direct access to three major parking lots, creating the potential for more guests leaving the national park to stop downtown when heading east.
Q: The cost of the downtown loop has been reported to be $17.2 million and would be paid with federal (FLAP) and state (RAMP) funds. Will the town have to provide any cash?
A: No, the town will not have to provide any cash. However, it would accept ownership of a segment of highway from CDOT and the related maintenance expenses.
Q: If the Town votes No Action on the EA, can it keep some of the $17.2 million?
A: Yes and No. The $13.2 million FLAP grant would have to be returned. The town would then become responsible for consulting fees incurred in the NEPA process so far. That amount is roughly to be between $200,000 and $300,000, although town officials say no official total has been tallied so far. The $4.2 million RAMP matching grant from CDOT is now the Town’s and must be used as part of the requirement to take over ownership from CDOT of West Elkhorn Avenue from Moraine Avenue to West Wonderview Avenue (U.S. Highway 34).
Q: Will the state use a fair process to acquire private residences and businesses that are in the way of the new road construction?
A: Yes. The state will attempt to find a fair market value for the property affected. If that fails, the state could use “imminent domain” proceedings to determine a market value.
Q: Motorists will not be able to drive eastbound through downtown. Is this true?
A: Once again, the definition of “downtown” is at play. For those who consider “downtown” to be strictly Elkhorn Avenue between Riverside Drive and Moraine Avenue and Moraine Avenue between Elkhorn Avenue and Crags Drive, this is true. However, eastbound traffic will still travel through the downtown commercial district. Two-way traffic will also be in place on Elkhorn Avenue east of Riverside Drive, and Elkhorn Avenue west of Moraine Avenue. Traffic volume is simply being dispersed within the area, rather than being removed from downtown.
Q: Two bridges are identified in the grant applications but reports from the town mention three. Is it two or three?
A: The design standards governing the detailed project’s design changed as a result of the 2013 flood. Due to post-flood regulations, the replacement of three bridges is now part of the project scope.
Q: It has been suggested that the Town could do many things to help traffic flow in the downtown area. Could the Town coordinate traffic signals; reconsider horse carriages being allowed; reconfigure U.S. 34/36 intersection to permit some traffic to use the U.S. 34 bypass; update highway signs to show routes to downtown/North RMNP entrance/South RMNP entrance; use intelligent message boards?
A: Actually, the Town is already discussing these ideas with the Colorado Department of Transportation, the agency that owns and operates these roadways. Since these are state roads, state regulations apply and state statutes cover the use of the roads by horse drawn vehicles. The Town cannot overrule state laws.
The reconfiguration of the U.S. Highway 34/36 intersection and additional signage directing more traffic onto the U.S. 34 bypass are all in progress, based on public comments, and could be in place sometime this year, depending on CDOT’s schedule. It should be noted that these will direct traffic further away from the downtown core and reduce access to downtown much more than the proposed loop will. The Town is looking into some other ideas heard from the public including reverting to the “Barnes Dance” all-cross design for pedestrians and possible use of the new Estes 1470-AM information radio station to advise guests about alternative traffic routes.
Q: Is the FLAP grant program really about replacing bridges?
A: No. Replacing bridges to keep residences and businesses out of the future floodplain (to avoid potentially sky-high insurance costs to those individuals) is an added bonus to the opportunity to use grant funds to address 21st century traffic volume in a downtown designed during the 19th century.
Q: It has been reported that the Estes Park Town Clerk said, in response to an Open Records Request on March 25, 2015, that the town is not the custodian of public comments made about the downtown loop at various open houses. Shouldn’t the clerk have had those responses?
A: No. The federal NEPA process involves careful collection of public comment, whether it arrives via website, email, phone, mail or public meeting. As such, the comments are available to all partners but in custody of the lead agency which in this case was the Central Federal Lands Highway Division. This ensures all public comments are properly organized and considered during the federal NEPA process. Public request for records, per federal and state laws, must be made to the custodian.
Q: Is the Town moving forward with the FLAP project despite an undercurrent of concern and ahead of any vision or long-term planning for the downtown area?
A: No. The Town is holding another public meeting April 15 to gather more input and decide if it will proceed with more detailed environmental analysis of the project. A final decision on construction would not be made until later this year, when and if the Environmental Assessment recommends building the project. The Town is still evaluating this grant opportunity based on the input of residents and guests in public meetings and surveys who have cited concerns with traffic congestion as reasons for not returning to Estes Park. It should also be noted that the Town will be pursuing a grant-funded opportunity to create a downtown neighborhood plan, heavily dependent on community involvement.
