Steamboat seeks feedback on transportation and mobility plan
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — Those who live in or commute through Steamboat Springs are encouraged to comment on the city’s transportation and mobility draft plan, which will guide Steamboat Springs City Council and the Planning Commission in designing future roads, trails and other transportation infrastructure.
“This plan is undertaking an effort to evaluate existing transportation issues, develop solutions to address them and chart a course for funding and construction over the next 20 years,” City Engineer Ben Beall said. “Evaluating and identifying projects related to roadway, pedestrian, bicycle and transit improvements is the primary purpose of the plan. But it goes further, taking into consideration the many dimensions of transportation related to accessibility, quality of life and social components such as cost of living and environmental footprint.”
Over the past few months, city engineers have spoken with various city departments and conducted studies determining where transportation can be improved. The city will then develop a multimodal plan that integrates all forms of travel to create and sustain a safe, connected and efficient transportation system, according to a news release from the city.
Beall said resident input on the plan is important.
“This transportation plan will guide our capital projects for years,” Beall said. “Transportation is about more than just how we get around our community; it’s about our quality of life.”
Beall and members of the city Parks and Recreation Commission also said walking and biking trails are just as crucial to Steamboat as roads are, which is why it’s particularly important that those who use the Yampa River Core Trail and other city trails to commute around the city offer their input on the plan.
“That, to me, is the most important part,” said Holly Weik, vice chair of the Parks and Recreation Commission. “Those are going to be the most important items to people.”
In addition to everyday modes of transportation, the plan will study city facilities and examine potential creation of new facilities and updating of current infrastructure.
“There’s significant public safety issues related to some of the sizes of the events we have at Howelsen,” said Angela Cosby, Parks and Recreation director. “Our only one way in is something we talk about regularly, so I very much understand something needs to be done in the future.”
Beall said the plan could also pave the way for a larger project such as a citywide gondola or regional rail system, though those ideas could be more than 20 years out from even being discussed.
The project team is specifically seeking comment on pages 44 through 59, which lay out the order in which projects will be strategically approached for completion, and pages 28 through 34, which “will lay the groundwork for the public discussions and more refined plans that the city will consider over the next few decades.”
The public can read and comment directly on the interactive document at TooleDesign.GitHub.io/B0067_steamboat_springs_tmp. Users can also see feedback from other community members. The comment period ends May 14.
To reach Alison Berg, call 970-871-4229 or email aberg@SteamboatPilot.com.
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