Environmental Studies for Rocky Mountain Highway

Preparatory to writing an environmental impact statement, an environmental study of a 14-mile segment of Interstate Highway 70 over Vail Pass in Colorado was completed in 1972. Baseline conditions in the study corridor were identified and specific alternative locations within the corridor were studied and comparisons made with respect to the environmental consequences associated with each. Quantification of various factors of environmental impact of each alternative was made in order to establish an order of ranking. Quantification method used was a subjective evaluation by members of a multidisciplinary team combined with a simple arithmetic analysis to establish numerical environmental scores by which the alternative alignments could be ranked. Innovative design concepts stemming from environmental considerations are examined.