Telephone Town Hall Offering Citizens Forum to Talk Transportation in San Luis Valley & Chaffee County

March 28, 2014 - Southeastern Colorado/CDOT Region 2 - ALAMOSA – The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is hosting a telephone town hall next week for the residents of Alamosa, Chaffee, Conejos, Costilla, Mineral, Rio Grande and Saguache counties, providing them with an opportunity to ask questions and provide input about their regional transportation priorities.

On Tuesday, April 8, at 7 p.m., citizens in the San Luis Valley and Upper Arkansas Valley (Chaffee County) will be called at random through an automated system and invited to take part in the telephone forum.  Anyone who wants to participate but did not receive a call can dial in, toll-free, at 1-877-229-8493, PIN 112034. Those who choose to join the call will have the chance to express their thoughts and ask questions about transportation.  Participants also will be able to use their keypad to answer live polls.

“I’m very enthusiastic to be part of this vital discussion between CDOT and the users of its transportation system,” said the Chairman of the San Luis Valley Transportation Planning Region George Wilkinson.  “The residents of Chaffee County and the San Luis Valley want to improve their roadway conditions and expand transit services.  This telephone town is innovative and provides a convenient way for our citizens to have their voices heard as part of the transportation planning process.”

CDOT is hosting the telephone town halls for residents in all 64 counties through early June.  Coloradoans are being encouraged to join the conversation and express their thoughts on how CDOT should focus its limited funding, discuss the link between transportation and the economy and weigh in on regional priorities.

“At the Transportation Planning Region meeting I attended in Alamosa in January, it was clear that concerns about traffic flow and safety drive prioritization,” said Colorado Transportation Commissioner Sidny Zink.  “Among the projects recently completed, and those on the drawing board, are adding passing lanes, widening shoulders, and adding turn lanes.  On top of that, there is a keen appreciation for the importance of tourist traffic, traveling on Highway 285 and Highway 160.