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Staff: split‑tunnel idea for 'entrance to Aspen' was set aside after FHWA guidance
Summary
Council asked which design alternatives had been abandoned for the entrance‑to‑Aspen reevaluation; staff said the split‑tunnel concept was dropped because FHWA indicated it would move the project out of a reevaluation, and noted the city is one of three decisionmakers along with FHWA and CDOT.
Council members used the work session to follow up on an information‑only memo about the entrance‑to‑Aspen project. A council member asked whether certain ideas—like slip lanes, Owl Creek intersection improvements, and a proposal to bifurcate the tunnel—had been set aside. Project staff said the split‑tunnel option was pushed aside after feedback from the Federal Highway Administration that it would likely require a supplemental environmental impact statement rather than a reevaluation.
Staff emphasized the city is not the sole decisionmaker on the project and that FHWA and the Colorado Department of Transportation are co‑participants in determining whether a modification triggers further review. Staff also noted other ideas had been refined and that some modifications (for example, changes to a bus lane between the roundabout and Buttermilk) would likely require a public vote based on the city attorney's opinion. Council asked that the memo be amended to record which concepts had been excluded and why.
