Evelyn Schlatter

The latest shot in the “what the ____ [fill in appropriate strong language as you see fit] do we do about traffic on I-70″ battles was fired when Colorado Senate Minority Leader Andy McElhaney (R-Colorado Springs) announced that he, too, was drafting a bill to address the situation.

How? By charging $5 at the Eisenhower Tunnel coming and going. The money would be used to fund still more lanes along I-70. McElhaney contends that his bill offers something “more concrete” to drivers than fellow lawmaker Senator Chris Romer (D-Denver), who’s been proposing turning I-70 into a toll-only HOV road between Floyd Hill and the Eisenhower Tunnel on Sunday afternoons throughout the year and during the winter weekend ski traffic “rush hours.” Romer’s proposed bill would also reverse a lane during peak periods to help accommodate traffic.

Romer’s plan calls for collecting tolls from cars with fewer than 3 occupants while McElhaney’s calls for a toll from every car at the Tunnel. Residents of Clear Creek and Summit Counties would be exempted from paying the fee, which might be a little bit of consolation for people living in mountain communities along the corridor.

McElhaney seems to believe that charging everybody (with the exception of Clear Creek and Summit County residents) will generate enough income to fund widening projects and that a wider I-70 is the solution to the increased traffic along the corridor.

But the question remains: will a toll really help alleviate traffic? And is adding more lanes along I-70 a viable solution? Wouldn’t more lanes just put more traffic on the road? “Hey, honey! Grab the kids, skis, dogs, snowboards, camping gear, cooler, snowshoes, kayaks, iPods, portable DVD players, and that roll of quarters! There’s another lane on I-70, so there’s bound to be PLENTY of room to drive the corridor now!”

Inquiring minds want to know.

Still, this toll thing is an interesting idea. It’s one of many making the rounds as the headache about the I-70 corridor bounces from skull to skull, whether you’re directly involved in the problem-solving, whether you have to drive it, or whether you’re like me and still hanging out in your armchair watching things unfold. You’re welcome to join me. Beverages in the fridge, chips on the counter.

And to check out some of the proposals floated by CDOT and others, see “On the Road Again…Maybe.”