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COLORADO - E470 MOVING FORWARD ON DESIGNATION PETITION FOR HAZARDOUS MATERIALS

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    CMCA and CWPMA jointly submitted a letter to the Colorado state Patrol and ED&) supporting their forthcoming petition for route designation:

     

                   

    Tim Stewart - Executive Director

    Chaz Tedesco – Chairperson

    E-470 Public Highway Authority

    22470 E. 6th Parkway, Suite 110

    Aurora, Colorado 80018

    RE: Support for the

    Dear Chairman Tedesco and Director Stewart,

    On behalf of both the Board of Directors of the Colorado Motor Carriers Association (CMCA) and the Colorado-Wyoming Petroleum Marketers, who collectively have 1000 member companies within the state (many based within the E-470 District boundaries), we wish to express our sincere appreciation to you and the entire E-470 Board for your willingness to consider adding E-470 to the designated route system for hazardous materials. 

    On our part we strongly support the petition for adding E-470 to the designated hazardous material route network.

    Let us begin by noting that hazardous material operators and drivers have excellent safety records. They must meet special requirements and are held to higher standards than other motor carriers.  All the hazardous material loads are required to be placarded so as to identify to first responders the product being transported in the case of a release or spill, which occurs rarely. The drivers of these vehicles receive special training and must be certified by the state on their license to transport these materials.  Finally, the insurance requirements for hazardous material transporters are significantly greater than that required for other motor carriers.  Due to these factors and others, hazardous material drivers and transporters consistently rate as being some of the safest drivers and companies operating on our highways today. 

    We believe that adding E-470 to the hazardous material route network is in the best interests of the public bodies within E-470 as well as the State, the general public and our respective industries for the following reasons:

    1. Enhanced Safety – For not only our transporters but local communities, the general public, and E-470, itself, the addition of this roue affords a safe option for transporting hazardous materials.    It accomplishes this by offering a more direct route for certain shipments, which reduces overall travel miles and risk exposure.  It has fewer interchanges (which represent higher accident locations),  overall traffic volumes are lower which reduces the level of vehicle interaction, and homes and businesses are setback at a significant distance from the roadway.  We firmly believe also that the addition of E-470 would in no way adversely affect the safety of other travelers on the corridor nor adjacent communities to the corridor.
    2. Enhanced Hazardous Material Response –Due to high traffic volumes and congestion on I-25 and I-225, the amount of time to reach an accident scene with proper emergency response equipment and conduct clean-up may be very substantial.  This represents not only a cost to the State and the transporter but greatly affects other travelers on those corridors.  Based on its’ design and easy access, responding to, and addressing a hazardous material incident on E-470 may take less time and be less disruptive to other travelers.  
    3. Reduced Emissions – As noted earlier E-470 in many cases may offer a more direct route for transporters of hazardous materials,  this translates into fewer vehicle miles traveled and in turn reduced emissions and GHG.  Further, congestion is less on E=470 allowing for more efficient traffic flow that leads to lower emissions than on congested corridors such as I-25 and I-225.
    4. Reduced Transportation Costs Benefitting Business and Consumers along the E-470 Corridor  -  Over the last several years congestion has markedly increased on I-25 and I-225.  Like other businesses, delays and congestion contribute to increased costs based on additional time and operating costs.  These costs are passed on to businesses and consumers and contribute to higher prices.

    In closing let me once again express our sincere appreciation to the E-470 staff and Board for petitioning the State for inclusion of E-470 as part of the state’s designated hazardous material route network. 

    Sincerely,

    Greg Fulton, President, Colorado Motor Carriers Association

    Grier Bailey, Executive Director Colorado Wyoming Peter oleum Marketers Assocation

     

    CGRS
    Eaton