I avoid going down to the flatlands at all costs. I've been to downtown Denver exactly four times in the last 14 years. I remember driving C470 30 years ago, through what was later to become Highlands Ranch, and having the entire freeway to myself. Aaaah, those olden golden days... and you couldn't pay me enough to live down there now, given how Denver has been destroyed revamped. Oh, wait ... progress, economy, jobs, that's right.
Interestingly, the article states there are already many complaints about the bumper-to-bumper traffic on side streets - County Line, Mineral, Colorado, Highlands Ranch Pkwy, etc. - during the rush hours. That issue is about to increase exponentially, as there doesn't seem to be any way to work on 470 without reducing it to one lane during the massive reconstruction.
On another note, it's entirely possible that the Denver boom will not last. Smarter folks than me predict this. So by the time this project is done, there may well be a lot fewer cars using that highway.
