In recent years, travelers have expressed growing frustration as they drive Interstate 70 through the mountains of Colorado. They have witnessed longer travel times, greater congestion, more delays and crashes, and deterioration of the highway’s pavement condition.

Many have laid blame for these problems on the trucking industry as they seek a culprit. Trucks are an easy target as they are the largest and, at times, the slowest-moving vehicles on the road. Further, when these vehicles are involved in a crash or jackknife, based on their size and weight, it might take longer to clear the scene and reopen the roadway.

While trucks are part of the problem on I-70, they only represent 10% of the traffic on the highway and only about 2% of the traffic during peak periods, typically the worst travel times. Truck drivers try to avoid these congested times whenever possible because of the time and cost incurred in sitting in traffic. The trucks that are there during heavy traffic are those that are there because of time-sensitive deliveries to customers, many of whom are on the West Slope.

The reality is that trucks are only one factor — a relatively small one compared with the other problems and challenges facing the state on I-70.

The importance of trucking to the communities along the I-70 corridor and the West Slope cannot be overstated. Everything in the homes and businesses on the West Slope travels by truck at one time, and the vast majority of those goods are transported on I-70 from distribution centers in the Denver metro area.

To give an idea of the time sensitivity and dependency of those communities on trucks, many of the gas stations in those areas would run out of fuel within 48 hours without a shipment; some hospitals and clinics would begin to deplete critical medical supplies within 24 hours, and grocery shelves would become empty of milk, eggs and other products within 72 hours.

The issues on I-70 are complex and extend far beyond the trucking industry, with root causes that are neither simple nor easy to address. While state and local officials express concerns about the situation on I-70, their efforts over the years have often focused more on addressing the symptoms than the problems.

Along those lines, several important realities help explain the challenges and problems facing the I-70 mountain corridor today.

The first is that I-70 is not a local street or state thoroughfare that serves only the interests of our state and the local communities along it but rather an interstate highway that is critical in the movement of passengers and goods across the country. Not only our state but also our regional and national economies are dependent on this vital corridor. Colorado has limited ability to control the travel demand on this national highway by travelers and businesses outside our state who use the corridor to reach other destinations in our country.

A second inconvenient fact is that while traffic on the I-70 mountain corridor has grown by about 30% over the past 20 years, the overall paved lanes have only marginally increased. Many of the limited, new lanes require users to pay expensive tolls and are only open during specific time frames, which limits overall use. The situation on I-70 is synonymous with trying to squeeze more toothpaste out of a tube that is drained. It is a testament to CDOT’s creativity that traffic flows as well as it does.

We are now close to the point where we can squeeze no more out of this “flattened toothpaste tube,” and congestion is more of a common occurrence. Bustang and some of the transit efforts have helped, and some planned expansion of those operations will help, but those actions have only put a small dent in traffic and cannot address the increased demand on the corridor in the future.

While the plan for I-70 through the mountains calls for an Advanced Guideway System (a form of rail system), such a system is not a short-term solution nor a guaranteed prospect because of the billions of dollars of funding needed and the time to construct such a system. This could be further complicated by the change in administrations in Washington, with the new president indicating that he will cut funds for major new projects. It’s critical that, in the short term, we look at a range of strategies, including some targeted roadway capacity improvements to prevent gridlock.

A third unfortunate truth is a shortage of State Patrol officers to conduct enforcement on I-70, and of CDOT staff to maintain the highway.

The underlying reason for this problem is the lack of affordable housing in areas such as Summit, Eagle and Clear Creek counties. The reality is that the state employees we count on to maintain that highway and conduct enforcement cannot afford to live there. This has resulted in understaffing in those areas and a constant churn of employees who, once they acquire experience, transfer or go to work elsewhere where they can afford to buy a home and raise a family.

While CDOT and the Colorado State Patrol have valiantly tried to address the staffing problem, they have fallen short. For example, the State Patrol now has half as many officers in that area as five years ago and about 40% of the number needed. The result of the understaffing and inexperience is that when problems occur on I-70, they take longer to resolve, leading to more significant delays. This staffing level translates into less of a presence by law enforcement, precipitating more speeding and reckless driving, resulting in crashes that might close the highway and/or significantly delay traffic.

While the state is trying to address this problem by building affordable housing along the corridor for CDOT and State Patrol personnel, the number of units to date is not nearly enough. Based on the proposed funding for this activity, it might take years before the shortfall can be addressed. The state needs to make this a higher priority as part of an overall solution for improving conditions on I-70 and, in doing so, make the investment in housing now.

The final troublesome fact is that many of the parties who are most frustrated about congestion on I-70 unwittingly contribute to the problem. As our mountain communities and resorts grow, so does daily and seasonal traffic demand. With every new hotel or ski run that opens, we can anticipate additional daily travelers and more overnight visitors in those towns. The increased resident and burgeoning visitor population generates greater demand for fuel, food and other products that must travel by truck on I-70.

The problems on I-70 are further magnified for many Colorado residents when they travel across the state line into Utah. Colorado drivers frequently comment that I-70 in Utah does not have the level of congestion, the pavement is in better condition, and the amount of speeding and unsafe driving is less there. Why is there such a difference between I-70 in Utah versus Colorado? Utah has made the needed investments and improvements to I-70 to accommodate current and projected growth, whereas Colorado has not.

It’s essential that Colorado does the same and makes the investments and tough decisions to address the problems on I-70, or we will find ourselves hopelessly in gridlock in the future.

James Lee is a third-generation operator in the trucking industry in Colorado and chair of the Colorado Motor Carriers Association.