Traffic Dips Through Eisenhower Tunnel In 2010
SUMMIT COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4)- Skier numbers and revenue is on the rise in Colorado's high country, but traffic is down.
The Colorado Department of Transportation reports that traffic dropped 2.9 percent through the Eisenhower Tunnel in 2010. That's about 300,000 fewer vehicles than 2009.
"It's a tough drive, nobody wants to do it alone," said Glenn Lieberman, founder of SkiCarpool.org. "I wanted to help be a part of the solution. It was even a problem that many years ago."
That could be a sign of a possible trend, if those numbers keep falling over time. CDOT believes more people are carpooling to the ski areas.
"We have odd years where we've seen some decreases," said CDOT spokeswoman Stacey Stegman.
Transportation officials would like less wear and tear along the I-70 corridor. It also could mean a proposal to add a zipper lane to manage ski traffic would become more cost effective.
The zipper lane proposal is still in the first phase of gathering public opinion.
"In this case, if we continue to see drops, or increases are less than expected, it just means that we can use a system like this longer," said Stegman.
