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~ '~4 ~ 7il'il ----- ~ . OPEN SPACE ROMCOE REPORT . . " ~c:.' \.'0 Voll.me 7 NUMM.8 No..m~., ]971 . I RockyMounloin Center on Environment/Serving CoIOlodo, New Mexico. Wyoming. Nevada. Arizona. Montana, Idaho and Utah ROMCOE URGES UNIQUE DESIGN FOR 1-70 -~. ~ ...~~ ......., ............. . " . . I 1(......1" Wn&ht. .....oclenl 01 ROMCOE, and "1_1 G- _1<-"". O~or 01 foeld Servicn..tG..........,.,C.n}lO<l.....sConl....nce, The ROMCOE Board of Trustees has voted to adopt a staff report which calls for a radical departure from traditional American highway design in placing !.70 through the Gypsum-Glenwood Springs section of the interstate route. At issue in the statewide controversy over the placement of the highway is whether Glenwood Canyon, a unique scenic resource in ColoradO and the nation, should be further dis- turbed by the placement of II highspeed, four-lane highway along its bottom. The iIDMCOE relXlrt contains a detailed examina- tion of all previous studies done on proposed 1-70 routings, including those prepared by the Colorado Department of Highways, U.S. forest Ser- ,;ice and DeLe...., Cather <lnc C~p<lny, a Chicago consulting company. following a critical discussion of these studies, the report lists seven alternative possibilities including the first and second choices of the highway department. Using a compleJ\ matrh which includes envirorvnental, social and mobility factors, the report evaluates the al ternatives and determines which is most desirable from the stand- points of moving traffic, preserving the natural values of the Canyon and doing the least environ~ mental damage. The two alternatives favored using this procedure call for new approaches in highway design. The first chOice calls for putting 1-70 over Cottonwood Pass and closing Glenwood Canyon to all through traffic so that its full potential as a scenic and recreational resource can be realized. The second alternative advocates a corridor through the Canyon but avoiding "water level" routing entirely. This second design would require innovative construction techniques, Including sus- pending the roadway from the Canyon wall and tunnelling. In a press conference called to release the study (see picture), Bert Melcher of the ROMCOE staff suggested the State Highway Department employ a European highway designer for overall direction of the project. Copies of the ROMCOE report on Glenwood Canyon 1-70 are avaiL,ble upon request. ROMCOE FOCUSES ON LAND USE In response to a recent decision of the Board of Directors that land use prOblems in the Rocky Mountain region should get priority attention, the ROHeOE staff has become deeply involved in all aspects of land use. In July, R()<1COE joined an informal task force of diverse interest lroups in support of the Colorado land Use CQIIIIlission ClUC). The COlTlT1ission and coalition held 25 work.shops throughout the state in August and September to explain Colorado's new land use laws and to discuss land use problems. Rick. Hoadley, of ROHeOE, attended each workshop to ell- plain envirOl'Jl1ental considerHions in land use planning. Representatives of the ColoradO Fan;: Bureau, Grange Farmers' Union, the Colorado Cattle- men's Association, the Colorado Association of Com- merce and Industry, league of WOOlen Voters, County Commissioners' Association, Rocky Mountain land Developers, Colorado State University EJ\tension Ser- vice, Soil Conservation Service dnd the Colorado Open Space Council also were present to ShOw citizens hOw land use pldnning, or lack of it, in a county can help or hinder all residents. Uncontrolled land develo~ent. particularly ill-conceived real estate subdivision, can burden county tax roles while severely damaging fragile Western ecosystems. The ClUC is currently drafting model Subdivision regulations. These will be circulated to county planning corrnissions in the state to assist them in meeting the July 1, 1972 deadline imposed by the