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• On January 25, 1977 the Colorado Department of Highways, District III, <br />held a Field Review Meeting to which all Federal, State and County agencies <br />were invited along with representatives of the coal mining industry and the <br />railroad company. Various proposed alternatives were shown on maps and <br />discussed with the participants. The actual location of alternatives were <br />then inspected and discussed in the field. The participants were requested <br />to submit their comments in writing. <br />On November 2, 1977, the Colorado Department of Highways held a <br />Location Public Hearing in the Paonia High School gymnasium. Approximately <br />220 persons attended and their comments are addressed in Chapter IX. <br />Need For Improvement <br />• The primary need for improvement of this facility is the conflict <br />between rail traffic and highway traffic from east of Bowie to the end of the <br />railroad line. In addition, from Terror Creek eastward to the end of the <br />Corridor, the highway right-of-way is not established and the highway <br />frequently encroaches on the rights-of-way of the railroad and the irrigation <br />canal. The road east of Terror Creek becomes narrow with poor sight distances <br />and sharp curvatures and is inferior from the standpoint of safety considera- <br />tions. This fact points to additional need for improvement of the road. <br />The Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad has indicated that it will, <br />in the future, require at least two parallel tracks, and in some areas as <br />many as five tracks for loading, in order to accommodate the unit trains <br />carrying coal from various mines in the Corridor. Since the highway encroaches <br />on the railroad right-of-way in the area east of Somerset (Bear Mine area) it <br />• will be necessary to relocate the highway. <br />