John Scarffe, Boulder County. The draft recommended updates to the Boulder County Transportation Master Plan (TMP) have been posted at www.BoCoTMP.com. County staff would like your help ensuring they’ve gotten it right before sending it on to the Board of County Commissioners for final approval, so please review them and provide comment by midnight on Sunday, April 14, 2019.

Sessions have been scheduled with staff to learn more, ask questions and provide feedback. An open house was scheduled for Louisville on Tuesday, April 2, 2019, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Kestrel 55+ Community Room, 1130 S. Kestrel Lane.

The Longmont Open House will be on Thursday, April 4, 2019, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Ron Stewart Parks and Open Space Building, 5201 Saint Vrain Road. The Nederland Open House will be on Monday, April 8, 2019, from 4 to 7 p.m. in the Nederland Public Library Community Room, 200 Highway 72 N.

The original TMP was approved in 2012, so it’s time for an update. The TMP is being updated to include new or trending transportation-related technology, changes in demographics, land use and travel patterns as well as opportunities for infrastructure and economic resiliency, according to a news release. Work also includes identification of funding challenges and opportunities.

Boulder County’s multimodal transportation network connects the communities with places they want to go, according to the website. Whether it’s taking a bus to work, riding a bike on the US 36 Bikeway, walking kids to school or driving to an appointment, Boulder County’s multimodal transportation network helps to get us there.

Boulder County has many ways to get around, but rising costs, a growing population and new technologies are changing how people use the transportation system, according to the website. “Rapid change means that not everyone has access to all transportation options.”

On top of these changes, costs to maintain the system are going up, while funding is going down. Revenue has gone up about 4 percent per year, but construction costs have gone up 5 to 7 percent. For basic needs, Boulder County is $37 million short, and they only have about half of what they need. They are looking at a public improvement district approved by voters or a tax increase, according to a staff presentation to the Boulder County Planning Commission at a regular meeting on March 20, 2019.

The grand total needed is $2,940 million with additional funding of $171.8 million for a gap of $2,318 million. The TMP provides a blueprint for Boulder County’s transportation system for the next 25 years, according to the website.

The TMP will help the county understand community needs, provide a clear vision for the Transportation Department, and help secure funding as it becomes available. Project Manager Stacey Proctor told the Planning Commission on March 20 that the proposed updates reflect new demographic and travel data and trends as well as a more in-depth analysis of emerging challenges. The TMP update has developed draft recommendations to get feedback from the public.

Activities to date include development of a State of the System Report, an online public survey, data analysis, development of draft recommendations and public and stakeholder outreach that has included public meetings, news releases and social media posts.

Retiring Transportation Department Director George Gerstle said one of the main philosophies of the plan is moving people from one community to the other and not just moving cars. The county will need to explore options beyond RTD, which is having financial struggles and can’t be relied on for the expansion of services.

Staff doesn’t intend to add any general-purpose lanes on major roads to maintain the special character of rural areas. When we do have congestion, the primary congested point is at the intersections, so addressing them is the most efficient way to improve because most accidents occur at these points, Gerstle said.

Instead, they plan to add bypass lanes, turn lanes, some center lanes and shoulders and improve intersections for pedestrians, bicycles and vehicles. Primary areas for work include Highway 119, the diagonal highway from Boulder to Longmont; Highways 42, 7, 287, 93, 66, 52 and South Boulder Road.

Mobility in the mountains is a challenge to Ward and Jamestown, and maintaining the roads is very expensive, Gerstle said. They received a grant for partnerships for shuttles to high demand recreational destinations, such as the Hessie shuttle above Nederland, and they would like to explore those kinds of services.

Staff plans to participate in public and stakeholder meetings and get feedback on draft recommendations from March to April 2019 and will have a draft and final transportation master plan document for review from May to July.

For more information go to https://www.bouldercounty.org/transportation/plans-and-projects/transportation-master-plan/transportation-master-plan-update-public-involvement/.

Use the online comment form at https://bouldercounty.wufoo.com/forms/xtnvsl41v2xwax/ to provide feedback on the draft recommended updates to the TMP by midnight on Sunday, April 14, 2019.

(Originally published in the April 4, 2019, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)