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Crested Butte to Gunnison Corridor - Adopted October 7, 2005
Transportation
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Purpose
This element of the Plan addresses the issues and policy approaches developed by the Transportation Focus Group. The element is divided into the following sections: data regarding existing conditions and previous transportation studies in the County; Specific implementation measures are included within Appendix C.
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Existing Transportation Data
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2000 Census Data:
Relevant information derived from the 2000 Census is shown on the following tables. Table II-1 summarizes the “means of transportation” for the County. As shown, 56% of Gunnison County residents travel alone to work. The State of Colorado has a single occupant rate of over 70%, and the higher modal split in the county is explained in part by heightened use of transit, carpooling and the ability for many to walk to work due to the relative tight urban patterns within the three municipalities. Table II-2 breaks down this data by municipalities.
Table II-3 summarizes the “place of work” for all employees in Gunnison County. It is important to note that the County holds nearly its entire workforce with very little commute trips from neighboring counties. Table II-4 summarizes journey to work times, which are far below the State data, again due to the relative tight urban boundaries of the three municipalities. |
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County Roads:
As part of the Comprehensive Plan process, an inventory of existing maintained county roads was conducted, and the results are shown on Figure II-1 (3.1 MB). The legend on Figure II-1 (3.1 MB) breaks county roads down by paved, bladed and gravel roads. No changes are contemplated for these classifications, but additional analysis for future improvements may occur in the future. |
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Existing and Projected Traffic Levels:
Trend data from 1992 to 1997, 2002 and projections for 2010 from Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) have been collected as part of this effort, and are shown on Figure II-2 (2.5 MB). As shown, CDOT numbers are significantly lower than those produced as part of the Upper Gunnison Transportation Study. This methodology used CDOT projections extrapolated out to 2020 as the lower end, and locally derived projections for the high forecast[1]. The Maximum Carrying Capacity (MCC) recommendations are discussed later in this section.
[1] The source for the high projections are derived from forecasts produced for the Crested Butte 20/20 analysis. Note that the growth projections used are significantly higher than those used by CDOT.
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Alpine Express Rider Ship Trends
Alpine Express has provided on-demand and airport services since 1983. Winter rider ship trend data from 1998 to 2003 are shown on Chart II-1. As shown, rider ship for the airport shuttle has declined by over 50% since the 1998-1999 ski seasons.
Upper Gunnison Valley Transportation Plan
In 1999, Gunnison County, the City of Gunnison, the Town of Crested Butte and the Town of Mt. Crested Butte approved a regional transportation plan for the Upper Gunnison Valley. The plan addressed the following transportation-related elements:
- Relationships between land development patterns and the transportation system;
- Trends and conditions including growth and its impact on mobility in the valley;
- Needed highway improvements;
- Public transit system development;
- Walking and bicycling systems; and,
- Transportation Demand Management.
The issues prompting the study were wide ranging and included congestion and safety on State Highway 135, creation of a new regional transit initiative, preserving and improving air and environmental quality in the Valley, encouraging alternative transportation and identifying potential costs and funding options for recommended strategies.
A series of interviews with 13 local leaders in the fall of 1997 set the stage for the effort. Common themes that emerged from these interviews included the following:
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Quality of Life
It is critical to preserve qualities such as the rural lifestyle, slower pace, pedestrian-friendliness and important view sheds. |
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Highways
Reduce the growth of traffic on State Highway 135 and Gothic Road. A logical plan is needed for Gothic Road to address capacity and safety issues. Find alternatives to roadway widening and improve safety and accommodate bicyclists. |
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Alternative Modes/Transit
Improving regional transit is critical to the area’s continued economic growth. Emphasis should be placed on matching the growth in regional transit operations with the growth in resort area workers. Expansion of transit and possible taxi service in Gunnison should be explored. Encourage alternative modes use by all feasible means including more frequent transit service, interceptor lots, park-and-rides, and strengthen transit organizations. There was universal praise for the local transportation provider and universal criticism of the air carriers. |
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Pedestrian/Bicycle Systems
Bicycle use is increasing in importance in the region. Trail, bicycle and sidewalk systems need to be improved and expanded. Safety around schools is critical. |
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Land Use/Growth/Development
There is strong support for preserving the open, undeveloped character of the upper Gunnison valley by channeling growth to existing municipalities and approved subdivisions. There is concern that local governments’ planning tools for handling growth may be outdated or uncoordinated. There is emerging concern that new growth may not be paying its own way. |
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Parking
Parking supply and management is not a major issue in the Valley but should not be ignored as a tool in stimulating alternatives to the automobile. |
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Data Collection
Local officials want objective information to assist their understanding and management of transportation issues. |
Relevant Trend Data
As part the overall transportation plan effort, a vast amount of growth data was generated to clearly understand future demographics and travel patterns. Some important trends:
- Population in the Upper Gunnison is expected to grow from the 1998 estimate of 12,400 to 20,915 in 2020, a 69 percent increase;
- The population growth rate in Gunnison County is projected to exceed the Colorado growth rate, 3 percent annually vs. 2.6 percent;
- Employment is anticipated to increase by at least 35 percent over the same period, from 7,630 to 10,287. These numbers represent full time jobs only. They exclude all part-time and temporary employment and therefore, understate job growth significantly;
- The total number of housing units is expected to grow from 6,101 to 10,410 (low range) to as high as 13,876 includes resort area build out of accommodations;
- Ski area activity, as measured by skier days, is projected to increase as improvements occur on both the mountain and the base village. The ski area has experienced an increase from 330,000 skier-visit days in 2003-2004 to 375,000 in 2004-2005;
- Non-residential building square footage is projected to increase by a factor of two or three;
- Vehicle trips generated by new development will add anywhere from 44,486 to 70,765 trips to local roads. Growth in the valley is highly visible because virtually all vehicles, at some point in a trip, must travel on either the State Highway 50 or 135 spines.
- The market place is continuing to respond to pressures favoring remote, rural housing sites
Regional Adopted Transportation Policies
The Transportation Plan was adopted by all of the jurisdictions in March of 1999, and formed the basis for the recommendations of the Focus Group. All the recommendations of both the Focus Group and the Upper Gunnison Valley Transportation Plan are based on the following broad goals:
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Maximum Carrying Capacity of Roadways
The maximum carrying capacity (MCC) was defined in terms of maximum vehicles per day at specific control points on roadways within the Upper Gunnison Valley. The MCC is based on the maximum acceptable cross-section and minimum acceptable roadway condition. Minimum acceptable roadway condition is either based on a level of service E congestion standard for paved roads or on practical considerations of maintaining two-lane rural gravel roads. The MCC that was approved as part of the Study’s recommendations are shown previously on Figure II-3 (2.6 MB).
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Safe and Scenic Rural Highway
In reference to State Highway 135, the study concluded that State Highway 135 should be designed, managed and maintained as a safe and scenic rural highway. Land uses abutting the roadway should reflect this safe, scenic rural corridor.
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Limited Growth in Intercity Commuting
The local governments will utilize affordable housing programs and growth management to limit growth in intercity commuting.
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Cost of Serving Rural Development
Local governments will set policies and undertake measures to avoid incurring the expense of providing access to urban and suburban developments in remote rural locations. Such development patterns are inherently costly to support with transportation infrastructure and services, and their costs should not be borne by other residents and business.
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Reduce Auto Dependency
The local governments will set policies and undertake measures to reduce auto dependency of households, commercial areas and employment centers. Auto dependency is defined as having no practical alternative to using a car to commute, run errands or to access recreational resources.
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Focus Group and Transportation Study Themes
As an introduction to the numerous proposals discussed in the following section, the ideas promoted by the Focus Group in the following implementation matrix are grouped into the following themes.
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Transit
Valley residents appreciate and use the existing transit services. There is a strong interest in expanding services provided by existing providers and in introducing new fixed route and para-transit services in Gunnison. Park-and-rides, intercept lots and shuttle services are seen as essential to encourage more use of transit by employees and visitors. Organizational issues need to be explored to promote greater efficiencies, coordination and capacity. The groundwork needs to be laid for new initiatives such as long-term solutions such as a State Highway 135 rail corridor and the Crested Butte – Mt. Crested Butte gondola link.
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Bicycle/Pedestrian
The emphasis here is safety improvements and completing existing networks. In some cases, new programs need to be initiated (e.g. safe routes to schools and bicycle parking). In others, the goal is to complete implementation of an existing program (e.g. County Trails Master Plan).
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Travel Demand Management
Whereas road-building focuses on the supply side of the travel equation, TDM addresses demand. TDM is seen as a necessary and desirable component of the Valley transportation solutions. It deploys a wide array of strategies ranging from bus passes to flextime, from parking cash-out programs to construction of park-and-ride lots. Suggested measures will vary by community over time and will involve both public and private efforts.
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Motor Vehicle
Ultimately, the Transportation Study and the focus group reiterated the desire to preserve the area’s character and to use transportation strategies, which reduce the dependence on building new facilities by increasing the efficiency of existing infrastructure.
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Findings of the Transportation Focus Group
The Focus Group met from January to March of 2003, with the outcome of their work summarized in the Implementation Matrix (Appendix C). The Group began by reviewing all relevant information summarized in the Upper Gunnison Valley Transportation Plan. The Group reviewed each of the implementation measures within the Plan, and formulated recommendations based on current relevancy of the prior measures, likelihood for actual implementation, and political will and practicality of each measure. Broad goals by transportation mode or strategy type are summarized below. Specific implementation recommendations are included within the matrices in Appendix C. Each recommendation is identified as high priority (five year window) items, medium priority items (10 year window) and low priority items (20 year window).
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Goal Statements
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Mass Transit
Due to the expected growth in the region over the next ten years, the County will ensure that development pays for its proportional transportation impacts. Also, the County will expand transit opportunities in the Corridor, develop and expand transit opportunities within urban areas and consider parking management strategies. |
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Motor Vehicle
The County shall consistently monitor traffic levels in the corridor, assess design standards to minimize environmental impacts and pursue traffic calming techniques. |
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Transportation Demand Management
In cooperation with all municipalities, the County shall investigate a wide range of TDM strategies including parking programs, carpooling, and telecommuting. |
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Bicycles and Pedestrians
The County shall implement steps to encourage bicycle and pedestrian safety and expand/enhance connections between population centers. |
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Transportation To and From County
The County should work with vendors to attract and maintain both surface and air transportation to and from Gunnison County. |
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Office Staff
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Office Hours
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Monday - Friday (except for holidays)
8:00 am - noon & 1:00 - 5:00
* Prior arrangements can be made for services during the lunch hour.
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Contact Information
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Geographic Information Services
200 E. Virginia Avenue
Suite #158
Gunnison, CO 81230
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Phone: (970) 641-7620
(Voicemail is available 24 hours per day)
Fax: (970) 641-3061 |
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