Four-lane history

Dear Editor:There have been some recent letters to the editors supporting a four-lane entrance into town. In these letters, it has been erroneously claimed that each vote and referendum over the years “advocated four lanes into town.”As we all know only too well, there have been many votes over the past 35 years on theentrance to Aspen. The results have been conflicting. There were two votes favoring a four-lane, the last of these over 15 years ago, but there have been at least twice that number of votes against a four-lane. In 2001, a four-lane, with two lanes for cars and two for buses, was defeated. Funding for light rail was defeated. In the most recent election, 2002, a majority of voters in the city as well as the county cast their ballots in favor of maintaining the present Highway 82 S-curve alignment.The Friends of Marolt Park & Open Space believe in extension of an exclusive bus lane(s) across the Castle Creek Bridge and on the present alignment, together with roundabouts and/or underpasses to replace traffic lights where they now exist between Aspen and the airport. It is apparent that the major traffic holdup is from Cemetery Lane west.This plan, which does not preclude rail, is consistent with the 2002 election results, preserves the Marolt Park and Open Space and permits incremental improvements on the existing alignment which could be implemented more quickly and more economically than other plans that have been rejected by the voters time and time again.Yasmine DePagter, Helen Palmer, Dennis Vaughn, Ed ZasackyFriends of Marolt Park & Open Space