Traffic at the main Edwards roundabout isn’t growing as fast as some believe it is

In just about any land use hearing for Edwards, a frequent complaint is traffic at the intersection of U.S. Highway 6 and the Edwards Spur Road. Those concerns may be overblown.

In a Monday presentation to the Eagle County Board of Commissioners, County Engineer Ben Gerdes presented data that traffic at that roundabout hasn’t grown as much as some residents claim.

According to Gerdes’ data, traffic between 2002 and 2023 grew by just about 1% per year at the intersection of U.S. Highway 6 and the Edwards Spur Road, the site of the community’s main roundabout.

---

---

“We haven’t seen the increases that are perceived,” Gerdes said, adding that in light of recent studies, he wonders if county officials and developers are “starting to overestimate” potential traffic growth in the community.

Ultimately, Gerdes said, it looks as if the roads in Edwards at the moment have “plenty of capacity.” Building additional capacity is not only expensive, he said, but can actually hamper mobility in the community.

---

---

During the summer’s lengthy hearings for the West End residential development, both developers and opponents talked about various traffic studies. Gerdes told the commissioners the county engineering department is planning to conduct a more comprehensive study, in which traffic is measured four times per year — in January, April, July and October — with those studies lasting 24 hours each.

According to Gerdes’ presentation, that study will help identify how traffic fluctuates, both through the course of a day and through the ebbs and flows of a year. And, since traffic counts are currently done on Interstate 70, the counts will help the engineering department understand the difference between interstate and local traffic.

Gerdes proposed hiring a consultant to develop an analysis to estimate traffic through 2050. That analysis could also help with an understanding of whether local traffic is a constant or occasional local problem.

Commissioner Kathy Chandler-Henry noted that on a recent trip to the Eagle County Charter Academy, a long line of parents dropping off students cleared over a matter of 15 minutes or so.

Commissioner Matt Scherr asked if the study — at an estimated cost of about $5,000 or so — would be an annual project. Gerdes replied he thought conducting a study every few years should be sufficient.

Gerdes added that the county study could be something used by developers for a consistent model for estimating traffic impacts for new proposals.

Commissioner Jeanne McQueeney said Gerdes’ proposal “makes a lot of sense … so that every application doesn’t do their own traffic study… it just feels much more transparent.”

But looking at the data, Chandler-Henry noted, “It’s a mystery why it feels why we’re bursting at the seams.”