Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Comment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Public splits on preferred alternative as dozens speak at Aspen council work session
Summary
About a dozen in‑room and online public commenters told the council they either want the preferred alternative and a second bridge built quickly for safety, or want broader study and different alternatives such as modified split‑shot designs; speakers cited evacuation risk, commuter impacts and the 1998 ROD.
Public comment at the July 7 work session ran roughly an hour and reflected deep differences among residents and stakeholders. Gary Lauder, who lives in the West End, argued the original preferred alternative’s strategy of maintaining congestion to force mode‑shift is "particularly cruel to the working people who commute to Aspen" and urged a modified split‑shot with additional lanes and HOV/bus accommodation. Lauder said traffic modeling must disclose underlying assumptions before being relied on.
Other speakers, including Bruce Etkin and Mike Maple, urged the council to respect voters’ prior approvals and move quickly to implement a second bridge and the preferred alternative citing evacuation and safety concerns. Tony Kronberg and others said the ballot language did not strictly approve the preferred alternative and urged CDOT participation and legal clarity. Online commenter Neil called attention to the 400‑foot cut‑and‑cover tunnel requirement embedded in the earlier ROD and warned any reevaluation that touches that element risks invalidation or additional votes. The range of comments underscored that no single constituency dominates the corridor’s many stakeholders.
