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Aspen council reviews sensitivity analysis for Castle Creek Bridge, defers decision to next session
Summary
City staff and Jacobs presented a sensitivity analysis of three Castle Creek Bridge alternatives, reviewed traffic-model results and right-of-way impacts, and told the council the federal Record of Decision would remain unless altered; council scheduled follow-up discussion and limited public comment at the next meeting.
The Aspen City Council met August 5 to review a sensitivity analysis and traffic modeling for the Castle Creek Bridge and the entrance to Aspen. Staff and consultants from Jacobs presented three alternatives — a phased preferred alternative, a split-shot couplet and a 3‑lane shifted bridge — and outlined regulatory constraints tied to the existing Record of Decision (ROD). Mayor Tory said the session was for information-gathering and that the council would not take public comment at this meeting: “We’re not taking public comment. This is really information gathering,” he said.
Counsel, consultants and staff walked the council through land-swap history, easements and modeling assumptions. Jim Clark and Jacobs staff summarized CDOT and Federal Highway Administration responses that staff received after sending questions in May; that correspondence made clear the ROD is signed by CDOT and FHWA and would remain in effect unless the signatories change or withdraw it. Jim Clark said pursuing a new solution would likely require a supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) or a new EIS and that the timeline depends on scope — “a year and 0.5 to 2 years,” he said when asked about how long a supplemental EIS might take.
Council members pressed on assumptions used in the traffic modeling (including a 0.75% annual growth rate to 2050 and a roughly 20% traffic increase by 2050), platform widths and property impacts; one councilmember urged that the body be prepared to make a decision at the next session while others asked for more corridor and roundabout analysis. The mayor proposed allowing three-minute public comments at the next work session and confirmed the council will return Monday the 12th for a follow-up meeting.
