Aspenites for Action: We can’t take another four years of ‘gridlock season’

What could be more memorable than Aspen’s golden season?

If you were here last September — or anytime there has ever been construction or inspections on the aging Castle Creek Bridge — you’ll recall that the fall splendor was eclipsed by “gridlock season.” Traffic backed up to the airport even mid-day, while the bridge was reduced to one alternating lane for weeks for the Colorado Department of Transportation’s (CDOT) ongoing repairs to the failing structure. Last fall, Aspen Public Radio reported “double or triple the usual … drive time.”

Now imagine that nightmare lasting for four years! That’s how long Jacobs Engineering found it would take to rebuild it as the only route into or out of town.

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Aspen’s economy and public safety, not to mention our community’s last nerve, grinds to a halt every time bridge repair season rolls around. We deserve a better solution.

For more than 30 years, Aspen City Council has debated the Entrance to Aspen — a route that has become outdated, unsafe, and a costly burden on taxpayers’ time and resources.

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Aspenites for Action — a group of dedicated citizens advocating for a modern, improved solution — gathered signatures to put Referendum 2 on the city’s March 4 ballot with two goals.

First, it will reaffirm the right, approved by the community in 1998, to use the Marolt property for a second bridge and new Entrance to Aspen. It will also enable the city and CDOT to finally move forward with their approved plan — or a better, modern solution — to address Aspen’s transportation needs.

We all know a solution can’t wait. The Castle Creek Bridge is nearing the end of its useful life, and rebuilding it will just continue the chaos. Accessing and exiting Aspen can already take hours, causing extreme commute times and diminishing visitor experience. Not to mention the rise of wildfire danger demands better emergency options.

“I absolutely want a better fire evacuation route out of town,” says Jake Anderson, operations manager of the Aspen Fire Department. “There are situations where a 14-hour evacuation would not work, and we have to give people other options.”

Ref 2 tackles this and other persistent community issues head on by minimizing construction delays, optimizing travel and transit, improving air quality, and safeguarding wildlife, in addition to expediting wildfire evacuation.

While a one-bridge solution will require up to four years of construction-related delays that will significantly impact the local economy, downtown businesses and the commuting workforce, Ref 2’s path forward will have very little impact on travelers — thanks to the existing bridge being used while the second one is being built — and will cut construction time in half.

A “yes” vote on Ref 2 will also provide environmental benefits. The plan prioritizes mass transit, continuing the dedicated bus lanes into Aspen. Faster transit times incentivizes bus ridership, with the bonus of reducing single-occupancy vehicles and pollution. With the land bridge over Highway 82 providing continuous open space between Maroon and Castle Creeks, Ref 2 also protects wildlife from dangerous highway crossings.

Ref 2 alone won’t get the job done. While the Marolt property usage was approved 27 years ago, opponents are trying to prevent Aspen from activating this official CDOT/city of Aspen decision. Their initiative, Referendum 1, requires a supermajority (60%) on any change to open space, which now includes land “used” as open space, too. Aspen already has legislation that protects its beloved open space: Currently, voters approve changes with a simple majority of 50% plus a requirement to replace any re-purposed open space. This has held off threats to our open space since the 1970s when voters approved the half-penny tax to fund the program.

Ref 1 is unnecessary and has dangerous consequences that are bad for the community. If it passes, it will prevent crucial improvements to emergency evacuation and block transit improvements to reduce traffic. And most alarming, it will put 40% of voters in control of critical decisions.

Ref 1 won’t just affect the Entrance to Aspen; it will impact private landowners, businesses, and organizations. Routine zoning and nearly any change to open space and parks could require voter approval. These votes, which Ref 1 would mandate to occur only in November of even years and March of odd years, means projects could be held up an additional 20 months.

Let’s create a better entrance to Aspen. Please join the 69% of Aspen voters who support an Entrance to Aspen that uses the Marolt and Thomas properties. Vote “yes” on Ref 2 and “no” on Ref 1.

Blake Appleby, Nelson Bell, Bruce Etkin, Ward Hauenstein, Warren Klug, Mike Maple, Tom McCabe, Kelly McNicholas Kury, Ann Mullins, Rachael Richards, Robert Rubey, Steve Seyffert, Scot Woolley, and Scott Writer