Southern Mountain Loop Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) Study Existing Corridor Conditions Report - Final December 2019 Prepared for: South Central Council of Governments Colorado Department of Transportation Region 2 Prepared by: Hg Consult, Inc. Atkins Alta Planning + Design Walden Mills Group SOUTHERN MOUNTAIN LOOP PEL STUDY Table of Contents Table of Contents ................................................................................................... i List of Figures ....................................................................................................... ii List of Tables ....................................................................................................... iii List of Acronyms and Abbreviations ............................................................................. v Introduction .......................................................................................................... 1 Study Location and Description ................................................................................................ 1 Transportation Planning Context.............................................................................................. 3 Regional Tourism and Recreation Activity ................................................................... 10 Regional Tourism Economy ................................................................................................... 10 Scenic Highway of Legends Byway .......................................................................................... 11 Visitor Characteristics ......................................................................................................... 12 Roadway System .................................................................................................. 15 Roadway Characteristics ...................................................................................................... 15 Roadway Service Condition ................................................................................................... 20 Traffic Volumes and Operations ............................................................................................. 22 Traffic Safety ................................................................................................................... 23 Planned Roadway (CDOT) Projects .......................................................................................... 28 Freight Rail System ............................................................................................... 29 Iowa Pacific Railroad .......................................................................................................... 29 New Elk Mine Railroad ........................................................................................................ 30 Bicycle/Trail System .............................................................................................. 31 Bicycle Facilities ............................................................................................................... 31 Bicycle Usage .................................................................................................................... 31 Bicyclist Characteristics ...................................................................................................... 33 On-Roadway Bicycle Assessment ............................................................................................ 33 Summary of Bicycling Events ................................................................................................. 36 Trails and Trailheads .......................................................................................................... 36 Cultural, Heritage and Eco-Tourism Facilities ............................................................... 40 Cultural/Heritage Pull-offs .................................................................................................. 40 Planned Cultural/Heritage and Eco-Tourism Projects .................................................................. 41 Evaluation of Heritage Tourism Attractions .............................................................................. 42 Environmental Resources Overview ........................................................................... 46 Archaeology ..................................................................................................................... 47 Environmental Justice ......................................................................................................... 48 Farmlands........................................................................................................................ 52 Floodplains ...................................................................................................................... 56 Geologic Resources and Soil .................................................................................................. 59 SOUTHERN MOUNTAIN LOOP PEL STUDY Hazardous/Solid Wastes ...................................................................................................... 60 Historic Resources .............................................................................................................. 62 Land Use and Ecoregions ...................................................................................................... 64 Noise .............................................................................................................................. 70 Public Lands and Recreation Resources .................................................................................... 76 Socioeconomics ................................................................................................................. 83 Threatened and Endangered Species, Other Special-Status Species, and Wildlife ................................ 85 Visual Resources ................................................................................................................ 93 Wetlands and Other Waters of the U.S. ................................................................................... 97 References ....................................................................................................... 104 List of Figures Figure 1: Study Area Map ........................................................................................... 2 Figure 2. The Proposed Southern Loop as Presented in the CFRT Master Plan ............................. 5 Figure 3: Proposed Walsenburg to La Veta Trail ................................................................ 8 Figure 4: Total Tourism-Related Spending in Colorado (2017) ............................................. 10 Figure 5: Specific Interests of Trip Travelers to Colorado (2017) .......................................... 13 Figure 6: SHOL Visitor Preferences for Activities............................................................. 13 Figure 7: Posted Speeds .......................................................................................... 16 Figure 8: Shoulder Widths ........................................................................................ 17 Figure 9: Horizontal Curve Classification along the Corridor ............................................... 18 Figure 10: US 160 IRI Category Proportions .................................................................... 20 Figure 11: SH 12 IRI Category Proportions ..................................................................... 21 Figure 12: US 160 Traffic Volumes and V/C Ratios ........................................................... 22 Figure 13: SH 12 Traffic Volumes and V/C Ratios ............................................................ 23 Figure 14: Study Corridor Crashes by Type .................................................................... 24 Figure 15: US 160 Weighted Crash Rate ........................................................................ 25 Figure 16: SH 12 Weighted Crash Rate ......................................................................... 25 Figure 17: Total Number of Crashes on US 160 ............................................................... 26 Figure 18: Total Number of Crashes on SH 12 ................................................................. 26 Figure 19: Number of Wild Animal Crashes on US 160 ....................................................... 27 Figure 20: Number of Wild Animal Crashes on SH 12 ........................................................ 27 Figure 21: Strava Bicycle Activities in 2017 ................................................................... 32 Figure 22: Level of Traffic Stress for Bicyclists Along the Corridor ....................................... 35 ii SOUTHERN MOUNTAIN LOOP PEL STUDY Figure 23: Trails, Trailheads and County Roads within the Study Area ................................... 37 Figure 24: Trails Within and Adjacent to Lathrop State Park .............................................. 38 Figure 25: Trails and Amenities in and near La Veta ......................................................... 38 Figure 26: Trails, Trail heads, and Campgrounds near Cordova Pass ...................................... 39 Figure 27: Trails and Trailheads at Trinidad Lake State Park .............................................. 39 Figure 28: Existing SHOL Interpretive Sites ................................................................... 41 Figure 29: Percent Minority Populations, Walsenburg