City Council further addresses public opinion on Entrance to Aspen

Westley Crouch/The Aspen Times
Probolsky Research completed a comprehensive survey to gather community input on the Entrance to Aspen, aiming to inform the development of a new Environmental Impact Statement as part of the Highway 82/West Aspen Transportation Needs Study.
The results of the survey, which ran from Nov. 23 to Dec. 3, 2024, were discussed during a City Council work session on Monday.
The survey included 17 questions designed to identify community values and priorities related to potential alignment alternatives for the Entrance to Aspen. Respondents were provided with visual representations of proposed alignments to ensure a clear understanding of the options.
Probolsky Research used a scientifically rigorous method, sending individualized postcards to registered voters, each containing a unique code to allow only one response per voter. Ninety percent of responses were collected online, with 10% gathered by phone.
The survey received 300 responses, reflecting the views of Aspen’s voter population in alignment with methods endorsed by the American Association of Public Opinion Research. Unbalanced results were also presented, which only varied slightly from the scientific results but were not used due to the demographics being more white, wealthy, and college-educated.
City Councilmember Bill Guth questioned how many of the people polled actually voted in city elections, referring to the unbalanced and scientific results.
“Given how relatively uniform our population is compared to other communities, I was surprised to see such a disparity,” Guth said. “We are still kind of split 50/50 on alternative solutions for the Entrance to Aspen. This really cements my position that everything we do here should have more than a 50.01 approval on it, and we get something that has a strong and healthy majority.”
He said a decision that splits the community is not a good option and would like to see a larger majority required before a decision moves forward.
City Councilmember Ward Hauenstein chimed in shortly after, saying, “50% or greater is democracy in action.”
The results showed significant support for improving the Entrance to Aspen to address traffic congestion and safety concerns, with congestion and Aspen having emergency access as the top two.
City Councilmember John Doyle said the emergency access response speaks volumes.
“When 70% say they are OK with using the Marolt Open Space for traffic, that speaks to me,” Doyle said. “Emergency access is the top tally listed by Aspen voters. That speaks volumes to me.”
Many survey respondents expressed a preference for alignment alternatives that minimized environmental impacts while preserving the area’s scenic beauty. A strong emphasis was also placed on expanding public transportation options to reduce dependency on personal vehicles, while the majority of public support was in favor of using the Marolt Open Space for automobile transportation. The Modified Direct route, also known as the current Preferred Alternative, received the highest level of support out of all the options presented.
The open-ended question that asked respondents what they would like to see that was not asked included 10% of respondents just wanting to see something done or action taken with the Entrance to Aspen. The original Preferred Alternative was designated 27 years ago.
Mayor Torre expressed gratitude to Probolsky Research and highlighted differences in community sentiment to those from 27 years ago when the first Record of Decision was adopted.
“I thought the numbers you brought forward were consistent and reflective of the community. I thank you so much for your work on this,” Torre said. “The biggest changed condition that we see right now is with the light rail corridor. That is no longer the largest driving force behind this decision. I still believe that having that rail corridor, or some other mass transit solution, should remain open, not closed.”
He said the city will continue to look at the best options for residents and that all of this information will be used to develop other options for the Entrance to Aspen to give to the community in the next several months to a year.
The city stated that these findings were incorporated into the pre-National Environmental Policy Act process by Jacobs Engineering, which is managing the Highway 82/West Aspen Transportation Needs Study.
During the work session, council members reviewed the results as a step toward shaping future discussions on this vital infrastructure project.
The city stated that public comment opportunities will continue throughout the pre-NEPA and NEPA processes to ensure input from both Aspen voters and residents of the surrounding regions.
Broncos announce large philanthropic investment, promises 15,000 helmets across state
The initiative promises brand new helmets to every high school football program in the state over the next four years.