SUMMIT COUNTY — Sen­ate candidate Don Ytterberg believes it’s time for less talk and more action when looking at potential solutions for con­gestion on Interstate 70.
  Democratic incumbent Sen. Dan Gibbs thinks that to gener­ate solutions, you have to be a part of the discussion — but that some steps should be taken immediately.
  The candidates for Senate District 16 realize that the I-70 problem is an important issue for many Summit County vot­ers and, if elected, both prom­ise immediate action to alleviate the congestion along the mountain corridor.
  “I don’t think there is any more study required,” Ytter­berg said. “The voters are ask­ing for a solution. We need to put this question in front of them to see how they want to proceed.”
  Gibbs, however, contends that any solution still requires further intricate collaboration from many quarters, including the communities that would be affected and governmental organizations that would fund any projects — and he takes a jab at his opponent over time at the negotiating table.
  “I have been a part of the I-70 Coalition since before it was even formed,” Gibbs said. “I’ve never seen (Ytterberg) at any I-70 meetings. For me, I gather the facts by attending and tak­ing part in the discussions.”
  Gibbs also claims to his cred­it passing a difficult bill as a freshman lawmaker that raised the penalty for truckers who ignore the chain law and expanded chain-up areas.
  Organizations such as the I-70 Coalition have been brainstorm­ing solutions since 2004, and while chairman Michael Penny — the Frisco town manager — acknowledges that progress is being made, he believes local politicians need to be more real­istic about the timeline.
  “Realistically, we can’t do anything until at least 2010,” Penny said, adding that federally mandated environmental impact studies are already under way. “Engineering work could begin around 2012, but then there is the issue of fund­ing and the fact that CDOT has no money budgeted for corri­dor improvements now.”
  The I-70 Coalition recently weighed in on a consensus rec­ommendation drafted by CDOT and the Federal High­way Administration, and the report suggests a multi-modal approach to dealing with con­gestion problems.
  In addition to exploring high-speed rail options, the report recognizes that multiple highway improvements are needed to alleviate the conges­tion from Floyd Hill through the twin tunnels east of Idaho Springs.
  “Early action items such as improvements to acceleration lanes and the mitigation of pinch points are things we should have started on five years ago,” Gibbs said. “People can talk about a monorail until they are blue in the face, but in reality, we can start working on these improvements now.”
  Funding for transportation improvements are currently extremely limited at the state and federal level, and both can­didates acknowledge that mov­ing forward with any improvement projects will require participation from the private sector.
  “If we considered private funding with a built-in fee structure, we could be looking at a 25-year pay-back period,” Ytterberg said, adding that the state has seen success with sim­ilar projects like the E-470 toll road. “There are investment groups that would find that attractive.”
  It will still be several years before the required feasibility studies are complete on I-70, and an estimated dollar amount for needed improvement will most likely be in the billions, according to Penny.
  “Realistically, for things of this magnitude, we need to partner with the private sec­tor,” Penny said. “At this point, we have acknowledged that this cannot solely be a govern­ment enterprise.”
  Dealing with congestion along the mountain corridor will require a statewide per­spective in order to generate an economically viable solution, and Gibbs is optimistic that the ideas already put forth by the I-70 Coalition are a step in the right direction.
  “We need to get started on early action items as soon as possible,” Gibbs said. “We in the mountains need to realize that a multi-modal approach is the best way to go, and there are projects we could get the ball rolling on now.”
  The National Environmental Policy Act impact study analyz­ing the interstate between Glen­wood Canyon and Denver’s C-470 should be completed sometime in 2009, and those results will dictate the next step for transportation authorities.
  “It may not always seem like it, but a lot of great things are now happening,” Penny said. “It’s moving forward. As soon as the feasibility studies are done we can address funding, but we could have to wait until 2012 or later until we can actu­ally put a bulldozer out there.”