The Denver Post reports on a national group’s finding that an expensive plan to improve Interstate 70 through Denver is a waste of taxpayer dollars.

The Colorado Public Interest Research Group (CoPIRG) lumps the I-70 proposal with 11 national highway projects that will waste at least $24 billion in taxpayer dollars. CoPIRG released the national report on each project Tuesday morning.

The report says the projects are “wrongly prioritizing expansion over repair of existing infrastructure” and are based on poor projections of future needs.

Here’s the full CoPIRG report. Clip, copy and mail to your favorite highway commissioner, along with copies to City Directors Lance Hines and Dean Kumpuris and the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce:

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Americans drive no more in total now than we did in 2005, and no more on average than we did at the end of Bill Clinton’s first term as president. The recent stagnation in driving comes on the heels of a six decade-long Driving Boom that saw steady, rapid increases in driving and congestion across the United States, along with the investment of more than $1 trillion of public money in highways.

But even though the Driving Boom is now over, state and federal governments continue to pour vast sums of money into the construction of new highways and expansion of old ones – at the expense of urgent needs such as road and bridge repairs, improvements in public transportation and other transportation priorities.

Eleven proposed highway projects across the country – slated to cost at least $13 billion – exemplify the need for a fresh approach to transportation spending. These projects, some of them originally proposed decades ago, either address problems that do not exist, or have serious negative impacts on surrounding communities that undercut their value. They are but a sampling of many questionable highway projects across the country that could cost taxpayers tens of billions more dollars to build, and many more billions over the course of upcoming decades to maintain.

No the 30 Crossing project in Little Rock isn’t among the 11, but based on descriptions, it sounds similar. And do we REALLY need $3 billion in new highway spending in Arkansas over the next 10 years, as the governor said today. Or, even if we do, are we planning to spend the money right?

CoPIRG recommends different strategy and studies. But, as we know, “leaders” here don’t want any further study. They want to build — 10 lanes and not a bit less, though there’s little congestion to speak of on the route except at limited times weekdays.

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Reconsider all plans for new and expanded highways in light of new transportation trends and recent changes in traffic volumes. This includes projects proposed to be completed via public-private partnerships.

Reorient transportation funding away from highway expansion and toward repair of existing roads and investment in other transportation options.

Encourage transportation investments that can reduce the need for costly and disruptive highway expansion projects. Investments in public transportation, changes in land-use policy, road pricing measures, and technological measures that help drivers avoid peak-time traffic, for instance, can often reduce congestion more cheaply and effectively than highway expansion.

Reevaluate transportation forecasting models to ensure that they reflect changing preferences for housing and transportation among Millennials and others, and incorporate the availability of new transportation options such as carsharing, bikesharing and ridesharing.

Invest in research and data collection to more effectively track and react to ongoing shifts in how people travel. 

Note: Little mention here of self-driving cars, now in testing. Not to worry. Lance Hines has assured city directors that’s fantasy talk.

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