The second installment of the 2015-2016 Southwest Colorado Index has been released. It covers transportation needs, including broadband internet.
The first installment, released in November 2015, dealt with economic health and diversity, including housing costs and livable wages. The report is being produced by the Region 9 Economic Development District and covers La Plata, Archuleta, Montezuma, Dolores, and San Juan counties.
The latest report includes highways, bridges, multi-modal transportation including bus service and bicycles, telecommunication, and air service.
It says, "A balanced transportation system accommodates the safe movement of residents, tourists, and goods through the region using an enhanced highway system, public transit, telecommunications, air service, and trails."
The report draws heavily from the Colorado Department of Transportation 2040 Regional Plan which covers the same five counties.
Southwest Colorado has only 4.8 percent of highway miles in the state, but there are significant safety concerns and some of the most costly maintenance challenges in the state, including Wolf Creek Pass and Red Mountain Pass.
Much of the region's highway pavement is in poor shape in terms of drivability life based on smoothness, pavement distress, and safety. Eighteen percent of regional pavement has a drivability life of less than four years. Another 70 percent has a drivability life of four to 10 years. Only 12 percent has drivability life rated at more than 10 years.
Maintenance challenges include avalanches, rock falls, and snow removal. The report cites Wolf Creek Pass with the most snow in Colorado. It lists 165 avalanche runs in the region, also the most in the state, and 121 rock fall sites. Red Mountain Pass has 110 avalanche paths.
Sustainable highway funding is in question, the index report says. "Colorado's highway infrastructure is aging with lengthy sections of road entering their fourth or fifth decade of service. The gasoline tax, the primary source of transportation funding, has not increased since 1991," the report says.
CDOT anticipates receiving $35 million for all of CDOT Region 5 (15 counties) over the next 10 years for Regional Priority Projects (RPPs), with around 40 percent ($14 million) of that to the five counties in the Southwest Transportation Planning Region (SWTPR).
It lists the connection from what locals call The Bridge to Nowhere south around the edge of Farmington Hill to connect with Highway 550 south, with a cost estimate of $91 million and suggested RPP funding of $1 million for design work and purchase of right-of-way. The report said work on 550 south from County Road 302 to Sunnyside would cost of $14 million and suggested RPP funding of $13 million.
In 2009 the legislature approved higher vehicle registration and car rental fees. That money, known as FASTER funding, is to be used for safety-related construction, reconstruction or maintenance on state highways (60 percent), county roads (22 percent), or city streets (18 percent).
Some FASTER money also goes for bridges. The report lists 76 rated bridges in Southwest Colorado, with 89 percent of those in good condition, 11 percent in fair condition, and none in poor condition.
La Plata County had an average 770 highway accidents per year from 2001 to 2014. Wildlife collisions are the number one accident cause in La Plata, Archuleta and Montezuma counties.
The Southwest Colorado Index includes telecommunications as an element of transportation.
It says, "Broadband is now virtually considered a utility for businesses and home-based employment, no different than water, sewer, telephone service, electricity, and roads. Advancing the telecommunications infrastructure throughout the region has been a documented priority for well over a decade. ... The ability of regional businesses and residents to access new technologies and telecommunications services is essential to fostering economic growth."
The report cites Federal Communications Commission (FCC) performance standards for broadband speeds. Advanced capability requires download speed of at least 25 megabits per second and upload speed of at least 3 mbps.
The report lists the percentage of households that have that. For the entire state it's 93 percent. For rural parts of the state, it's 68.8 percent. For the entire Southwest Colorado region, it's 59.5 percent, reflecting little or no households with those speeds in Dolores and San Juan counties.
It lists La Plata County with 67 percent of households at that broadband level, Archuleta County with 22 percent, and Montezuma County with 70 percent.
The region has two commercial airports: Durango-La Plata, and Cortez. There are three general aviation airports, including Animas Air Park south of Durango, and Stevens Field near Pagosa.
The report says, "In western Colorado, aviation services have become increasingly important in maintaining and enhancing the viability and vitality of local and regional economies."
The Durango-La Plata County Airport is currently served by United and American Airlines, with service to Denver, Dallas/ Fort Worth, and Phoenix. The report lists passenger boardings increasing from around 90,000 in 2000 and 2001 to 189,329 in 2015, down slightly from a peak in 2014.
Boardings at Cortez have been up and down since 2000, with a peak of 11,205 in 2007 and a record low of 2,482 in 2015. The one carrier, Great Lakes Airlines, has been hit hard by higher FAA flight time requirements before pilots can fly commercial aircraft. Cortez is considered an "Essential Air Service" community, but service there depends on survival of the airline. "The future is bleak for many small airports in rural communities," the report says.
The report gives a brief overview of public transit in Southwest Colorado. It lists Ignacio-based Roadrunner Transit as increasing from 45,020 vehicle miles and 7,669 trips in 2004 to 240,850 vehicle miles and 35,337 trips in 2015. It lists Roadrunner Stage Line, which provides one round trip per day from Durango to Grand Junction with 173,040 vehicle miles and 5,920 trips in 2015.
The report gives a brief mention to recreational trails, park and ride locations, and Durango's North Main Corridor Mobility Study.
The Southwest Colorado Index can be accessed at www.scan.org. Select the regional data tab, then data reports, then Southwest Colorado Index.
