Colo. skiers may be able to pay to avoid traffic
By John Aguilar, Denver Post
Travelers on Interstate 70 in Colorado will get the chance this week to sound off on proposed toll rates on a soon-to-open express lane for ski traffic — a lane that could rank as the nation’s priciest per mile.
The eastbound-only lane, designed to relieve the crushing congestion of a return trip to the city from Colorado’s mountain ski resorts, is scheduled to open to vehicles in December.
Colorado Department of Transportation staff members have suggested a tolling range of $3 to $30 for the 13-mile stretch, which lies between the Empire exit and Central City Parkway, near Idaho Springs.
At the maximum suggested toll rate, motorists would be paying $2.31 a mile to ride the express lane — a higher rate than any other toll road in the United States.