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I’ve been following the I-70 mountain corridor. Not in any literal sense. I quit driving that thing around 2002 because it scared the living bejesus out of me. Yeah, I’ve used it to access Colorado’s fabulous public lands. And back in the day, to go hang out in groovy places like Idaho Springs for a nice quick getaway. But if you try to, say, leave Denver on a Friday after work…well, those of you who have braved that know whereof I speak. Brings to mind the lyrics from that Police song: “packed like lemmings into shiny metal boxes.” So I pretty much quit driving the corridor and instead, found other routes to the back country, varying my days. I do still follow the corridor, but in a more metaphysical, detached way. I’ve become an armchair observer of the discussion, debates, frustration, and freak-outs over what to do, how to do it, where to do it, and how much it’s all going to cost to decrease traffic jams on the corridor, increase safety, and make sure that everybody’s historic and environmental preservation needs are met.
Last summer was the busiest in terms of vehicles on the road in the 34-year history of the Eisenhower Tunnel. 2007 was pretty busy overall on the corridor. So busy it even made the New York Times. According to the Colorado Department of Transportation, a million cars log-jammed onto the corridor in March 2007. Thirty thousand cars daily use it, filled with commuters, tourists, outdoor recreation fans, and second-home owners. And probably their dogs, kids, skis, bikes, kayaks, newspapers, ebook readers, laptops, and PlayStations, as they all need something to do while they’re sitting in traffic for five hours on their way to or from the mountains.

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