Interstate 70 requires permanent repairs in Glenwood Canyon

Mountain Interstate 70 is in constant need of repairs

Re: “Eastbound Interstate 70 reopens at Glenwood Canyon after crash cleared,” September 19 online news article

The eastbound lane of Interstate 70 at Glenwood Canyon has reopened two days after it was closed. Again.

Again with a tractor and trailer.

And this time in the fall, with no snow on the interstate. At all. This is in contrast to frequent stoppages on I-70 due to tractor-trailer wrecks during winter snowfalls, which occur multiple times.

Traffic on the Western Slope is being rerouted through Steamboat, adding several hours to travel over the past few days. Closed due to a landslide, CDOT was not concerned with cleaning up the tractor-trailer mess (incidentally, falling from the westbound lane to the eastbound lane) and the need to clean up before resuming work on the interstate.

Meanwhile, politicians running for federal office are sending campaign literature to Western Slope residents promising action on the border (Wyoming? Kansas? New Mexico? Utah?) and lower gas prices (already 50 cents higher than in most states due to Colorado state taxes , not federal).

It’s time for U.S. officials to start working on alternative interstate routes and improvements to enable Western Slope residents to reach Denver. It’s time for CDOT to initiate pilot-led tractor-trailer convoys 24 hours a day. First east, then west. Ensure the safety of truck drivers and make the roads accessible.

Leslie Wilson, Collbran

The interstate through Glenwood Springs is of national importance. It has been closed once again. The need for an alternative route around the canyon is obvious. Cottonwood Pass is the obvious answer. This will cost a lot of money, but it is in the national interest and should be covered by federal funds. It needs to be built and we should start building it now.

Robert M. Gordon Jr., Lakewood

It’s hard to avoid regret in the presidential election

Re: “Election 2024: ‘a matter of regret'”, letter to the editor from September 18

Since I’m 82 years old, I doubt I’ll “regret” voting for either Kamala Harris or Donald Trump in November in 10 years, and I don’t believe either win will affect me (personally). more than the second one. Voters younger than me have much more to gain or lose in the future, so it is more important for them to vote for the candidate of their choice.

The author also suggests that “using reputable sources” is the way to make this important decision, and my response would be that I don’t know what a “reputable source” is anymore. Who do you think these “reputable sources” are…. CNN, Fox, MSNBC, other cable networks, three major networks, The View, internet, NYT, WAPO, The Denver Post? I can almost never watch the news, read the newspapers, or browse the Internet without being exposed to obvious lies, exaggerations, and distortions based on their political beliefs. Even our so-called “serious journalists” are guilty of this.

Whether you vote for Harris or Trump, are you still likely to regret it? How can you be sure that another candidate wouldn’t do better? Anyway, do you seriously think my vote would matter? Pick any poll and you’ll see Harris wins Colorado’s electoral vote by a significant margin.

While Harris and Trump have very different personalities and policies, the sad fact is that they are both terrible candidates… just in different ways.

Jim Malec, Roxborough Park

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