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I love that I-70 may someday give way to a Hyperloop.
Seriously though, are there any engineers/contractors/other knowledgeable people here on this forum who can explain more about the mythical Denver-Vail Hyperloop? From an armchair perspective it seems like it will be impossibly expensive and difficult to build. Will it use the existing I-70 roadbed to get over the Divide? Does it have to be straight, or mostly straight? Negotiating the Floyd Hill corner or the west side of Vail Pass at 600 mph in a vacuum tube seems like it would take a ridiculously strong magnet to make the turns. If it doesn't follow the existing roadway, will it just be built straight over/through every hill in the way? If it does follow the roadway, how will traffic work while the tube is built beside/above the roadway? It took CDOT 4 long years to widen 2 tunnels and put in one lane on a 10-mile stretch of road in Idaho Springs. At that rate, they should have a hyperloop train done sometime next millennium. It seems like a great idea in theory, but do the logistics make it (literally) a pipe dream?
jfm3 wrote:I love that I-70 may someday give way to a Hyperloop.
Seriously though, are there any engineers/contractors/other knowledgeable people here on this forum who can explain more about the mythical Denver-Vail Hyperloop? From an armchair perspective it seems like it will be impossibly expensive and difficult to build. Will it use the existing I-70 roadbed to get over the Divide? Does it have to be straight, or mostly straight? Negotiating the Floyd Hill corner or the west side of Vail Pass at 600 mph in a vacuum tube seems like it would take a ridiculously strong magnet to make the turns. If it doesn't follow the existing roadway, will it just be built straight over/through every hill in the way? If it does follow the roadway, how will traffic work while the tube is built beside/above the roadway? It took CDOT 4 long years to widen 2 tunnels and put in one lane on a 10-mile stretch of road in Idaho Springs. At that rate, they should have a hyperloop train done sometime next millennium. It seems like a great idea in theory, but do the logistics make it (literally) a pipe dream?
This hyperloop thing is fun to think about. But I can't take it seriously yet. Obviously it would be awesome but I agree with you, I think it's weird how seriously CDOT is talking about this stuff.
But what do I know. I might be living in FOCO and commuting 15 minutes to Denver in 10 years.
I would take driving on I70 in a Blizzard than driving on I25. I have never seen so many shitty drivers anywhere with giant trucks as we get in that corridor. Looking at you Springs
The highway system in the Los Angeles area should clearly indicate no matter how many miles you pave, traffic will always outpace it. Traffic equals cars on the road. Why do we as a society seem to disdain public transportation? Look at Europe in many areas...lots of bikes, lots of public transpo options. We are a mobile society and highly connected to our cars. This attitude and societal norm means traffic. It ain't going anywhere....here to stay until "we" behave differently.
The question becomes...why Denver? Jobs? But my response to that is (as i live on the western slope) there are jobs all over the State. Oh, but wait, those jobs in "those towns" don't pay enough for me to live. Yes they do. I live a great, fulfilled life with no traffic, no ridiculous housing costs, low taxes, and blah, blah, blah.
My choice of desired lifestyle and needs and wants dictates my needed income, or my income dictates my lifestyle and my ability to live within my means. My choice. Remember, all that live in Denver and "have to deal with all the traffic and cost of housing and new people.....blah, blah, blah"....it was a choice.
I-70...nope.
"There's a feeling I get when I look to the West and my spirit is crying for leaving" Led Zeppelin
Bombay2Boulder wrote:I would take driving on I70 in a Blizzard than driving on I25. I have never seen so many shitty drivers anywhere with giant trucks as we get in that corridor. Looking at you Springs
Yep, my route takes me from the south up towards the Springs and the traffic definitely gets exponentially worse as you get north of Pueblo. I rarely stay on I-25 past Walsenburg. I get on 25 at Raton, NM and get off the interstate system ASAP. I prefer the scenic route over expediency....of course it's not my commute, my trips to CO are for strictly for recreation 99% of the time, so I am rarely in a hurry.
Seems like the times that I need a mountain the most are the times that I can not get to them.
There's a bike route that parallels I-70, from DIA to Glenwood Springs, and for that: I'm happy. They finished up the section between Genesee/Colorado Springs, where you previously had to bicycle on I-70, which wasn't a whole lot of fun. The opening up of the path from Georgetown to the base of Loveland Pass was also nice. When I lived in Denver, I rode it all the time to get into the mountains. It's not a destination ride for me anymore, since I've found better (quieter) routes, but it's still useful.
For someone who doesn't own a car, Bustang is pretty awesome. Cheap, and bikes ride for free. Not perfect, but a huge gigantic step in the right direction. If only the bus schedules aligned up to get to Leadville!
I70 is a magical mysterious place. The biggest moon that I have ever seen was driving back home through Kansas, somewhere near now famous Tallgrass exit. Right about then some huge insects started pelting the car, so that it was difficult to see through the windshield. When I finally arrived home after two days, it took two washing by hand to remove dried goo and bug parts from the car. Couple of months later, while changing the air filter, I found about half pound of yummy crunchy cicadas inside the air box.
I love 70 too. Keep up the great topics, Jeremiah!
I love that first good mountain view right after you drive steeply uphill for a bit west of Morrison. All of a sudden it is a great high mountain view, I don't think that will ever get old no matter how many times I drive 70 West.
Climb the mountain so you can see the world, not so the world can see you.
I can understand the frustration for people who live here but I-70 traffic is a lot like 14er foot traffic in the summer. Leave early to get to the trailhead/ski resort parking lot before anyone else, starts hiking/skiing early (hit the singles line to avoid any groups), and head back to the car by noon. You'll miss almost all of the traffic and be back to your house/apt by 2:30.
There are other things you can do to pass the time. If you get to the parking lot early then grill out.
Maybe stop into one of the smaller towns on your way back to grab dinner and let the traffic pass through.
You could rent an Airbnb or hotel room for a night or two and ski all the way until close (some of my favorite skiing has been from 3-430 when "tomorrow's snow" start to fall but everyone else is gone.
If all else fails, then download some podcasts and just be happy we have the opportunity to do such amazing things with in 3 hours (even with traffic).
My move down south opened my blinders to how much I enjoy the traffic because of what is on the other side of that wait. Thankfully I just moved back to CO and I will take full advantage of peoples' lack of willingness to wake up early to enjoy the things they "love"
"In anticipation of tomorrow don't lose sight of today"
