In recent weeks, the Obama administration has made a number of exciting announcements about constructing high-speed rail across the country. Imagine being whisked from city to city at 200 mph, avoiding the hassle of airport security lines and delays or being stuck behind the wheel in traffic on Interstate 25.
However, in the midst of this excitement, Coloradans can’t help but feel discouraged when we look at a map of the federal government’s designated high-speed rail corridors and notice that none of them are in Colorado.
Colorado should not feel too discouraged for long. Most of the federal government’s designations started in 1992, when the population of the Denver metro area was around 2 million. You could drive U.S. 36 from Denver to Boulder and see meadows where Flatirons Crossing currently stands. Highlands Ranch was a small town of around 17,000.
Since then, the Denver metro area has grown 50 percent, becoming one of the top “mega-regions” in the country, according to economist Richard Florida. With that growth came increased traffic congestion on our roads and airports, as well as increased opportunities for ridership on future high-speed rail.
Our justification for high-speed rail designation gets even better when you consider that since the early 1990s, residents of the Denver area have come together and approved construction of one of the more comprehensive light rail systems in the country as well as expanding rapid bus lines through the FasTracks program. All of this will provide a feeder network so high-speed rail riders can get to and from rail stations without ever getting behind the wheel of a car.
In addition, many of the cities and counties along the I-25 and I-70 corridor have had the foresight to fund the Rocky Mountain Rail Authority, which is completing the necessary studies that will allow Colorado to request approval to become a designated high-speed rail corridor. As our population continues to increase, along with more congestion and higher gas prices in the future, this vision will look more and more like a necessity.
So next month, when the Obama administration releases its criteria for spending the $8 billion in stimulus funds for high-speed rail funds, Coloradans should know that we too will be at the forefront of this trend, even if we do not receive the first batch of funds.
The construction of I-70 through Glenwood Canyon in 1992 is typically seen as having completed President Eisenhower’s vision for an Interstate Highway System, launched in 1956. We should take heart that as America builds the transportation network for the 21st century, Colorado will be a prime candidate to climb on board high-speed rail.
Danny Katz (danny@copirg.org) is state director of the Colorado Public Interest Research Group (CoPIRG).
