| Comment |
I am writing to express my extreme displeasure with the
proposal to build a privately funded beltway in lieu of
making needed improvements to Highways 93 and U.S.
6. It is evident to me that the beltway proposal, (aka
The Jefferson Parkway), is politically driven by an
ambitious County Commissioner and backed primarily by
the Jefferson Economic Council, on which that
Commissioner sits as a director. Despite recent
comments concerning public safety, the privately funded
beltway project has never been about safety – its primary
purpose is to hasten economic development. To abdicate
an essential government function (transportation) to a
private entity is itself arguably a failure of the
government to act in the people’s interest; to do so
primarily to advance the interests of developers and
ambitious politicians is undoubtedly so.
The Jefferson County Public Highway Authority was
established primarily to promote its agenda despite the
protests of other area communities, such as Golden and
Boulder, by attempting to show some level of
governmental cooperation in the issue. It should be
within the mission of DRCOG to recognize that the
Highway Authority instead represents the antithesis of
regional cooperation among area governments.
DRCOG has a history of seeing past the fog of ambition
and focusing on doing what is right in the face of
political pressure. I urge you to look deeply into the
issue, disregard any personal and political biases and the
deceptive lure of private funding, and make a decision
based on the data and best interests of the people.
Denise C. Burrows
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