Plan aims to shift semi-truck traffic off I-70, revitalize Colorado rail corridor
A proposal to alleviate congestion and improve safety along Colorado's treacherous I-70 mountain corridor is gaining traction, spearheaded by retired train conductor Brad Swratzwelter.
The plan centers on utilizing the existing rail line that runs parallel to the interstate, including the Moffitt Tunnel, to transport semi-trucks and their cargo via rail. This would divert a significant portion of the heavy truck traffic from the highway. It's a goal shared not only by folks on the Front Range but also by the mountain communities themselves.
Swratzwelter envisions a system where semi-trucks, cabs, and drivers are loaded onto flatbed trains at terminals located near the eastern and western ends of the I-70 corridor. Drivers would then retire to sleeping passenger cars along the train for an eight-hour rest while the train traverses the Rockies before rejoining their trucks and continuing their journey.
He argued that this system would significantly enhance safety for truckers, who face substantial risks driving on I-70.
"The biggest danger to being a trucker is driving I-70 through the mountains of Colorado compared to anywhere else in the country," he stated. "We need to give them options so that they have the very safest and most profitable avenue of delivering things to us that we can give them."
The proposal also addresses environmental concerns, opting to remove emissions from multiple truckers. "By the way, the train is 90% less fuel per ton than taking a semi-truck over I-70. So we have fewer emissions in the mountains."
He believes the truck companies will also see the economic benefit if the benefit to the drivers themselves isn't enough incentive.
"They don't have to pay for the fuel, the wear and tear on a semi-truck transmission engine and tires is huge in the mountains," Swratzwelter explained.
The concept draws parallels to successful initiatives in Austria, where similar rail solutions were implemented to protect highways and facilitate tourism. "They had a transportation problem because semi-trucks going from Germany to Italy were destroying their Autobahn," he said.
While he expects the rail line can only handle 1,120 trucks per day with the current vacancies in the schedule along the rail line compared to the over 2,000 currently using the Eisenhower Tunnel, Swratzwelter emphasized that the project would still provide substantial relief. "This is going to help," he said.
Swratzwelter believes the project's estimated cost is substantial, approximately $1 billion. It involves upgrades to I-70 interchanges and the construction of state-of-the-art terminals with robotic loading systems, as well as the purchase of new locomotives and specialized flat cars. However, Swratzwelter also mentioned that a smaller scale version of the project could be accomplished with $100 million, but said it would be a disservice to everyone involved. He believes the investment we put into this would make Colorado an example for this type of project, and other countries would visit the state to see how it was done.
"I advocate that we do this right. We do this once and we do this in a way that will be able to take as many trucks off the highway as we possibly can," he said. Swratzwelter believes the project will be self-sustaining in the long term, offsetting the initial investment in an estimated 30 or so years.
He acknowledged that some truck stops along the route may experience a decrease in business and added train traffic adds to noise for people along the route, but he remains focused on the broader benefits. Swratzwelter echoed many Coloradans when he said how frustrating it is when truckers disregard safety regulations and end up jackknifed, creating traffic holds that stop people on the front range from getting to the mountains for things they love, like skiing. "If a trucker is failing to comply with our laws and they take away my ski day, I want them punished," he said with a laugh.
The economic impact of I-70 closures is a significant driver of the project. CDOT said the estimated cost of closing I-70 for a single hour leads to $2 million lost in economic benefit for the state. "Last year, there were 99 closures and the total number of hours multiplied by that figure put us nearly $200 million in lost economic activity," Swratzwelter explained. "We can't afford to not do this."
The full plan and details can be found on The Western Rail Coalition website. Swratzwelter said he welcomes any questions and concerns that would come with this project.
"Let us find out what we need to do to answer every question so that we don't go into this with ignorance," Swratzwelter said.
The next step is conducting a feasibility study and getting support from Colorado legislators. Swratzwelter said he believes the groundswell on this project will garner the attention that is hard to ignore at the Capitol.
