UCHealth Anschutz Medical Campus Infrastructure Total Failure
Over a decade on the UCHealth Anschutz Medical Campus
With the closure of the Fitzsimons Hospital in 1995 to the opening of the University of Colorado Health and Science Center in 2004 the haphazard development continues for over a decade on the UCHealth Anschutz Medical Campus.
Where anywhere in the developing world do you witness a seven (7) Billion dollar development without any access infrastructure asks a hoffman heights neighbor?
Only on the UCHealth Anschutz Medical Campus located in Aurora, Colorado spearheaded by now jettisoned Aurora mayor Ed Tauer, who was instrumental in the redevelopment of the Fitzsimons Army Base into the UCHealth Anschutz Medical Campus.
The band aid piecemeal construction continues with the opening of the 43 million dollar access ramp from I 225 on to the Fitzsimons Parkway allowing traffic access to the UCHealth Anschutz Medical Campus. The elevated ramp was constructed with temporary construction jobs paid for by the American recovery and investment act and the City of Aurora, Colorado.
Expected to be completed in early 2013 allowing access to over 40K cars daily the incoming onslaught traffic can access the UCHealth Anschutz Medical Campus continue to jockey and fight for one of the few parking spaces located on the Anschutz Medical Campus where a recent car caught on fire and rapidly spread to adjoining parked cars located on the Anschutz Medical Campus overflow parking lot. After driving around in circles at a futile attempt to park their cars many visitors leave the Anschutz Medical Campus and end up parking off the Anschutz Medical Campus creating traffic jams in neighboring hoffman heights and filling vacant parcels of undeveloped ground surrounding the forever expanding UCHealth Anschutz Medical Campus.
There will be no light rail at UCHealth Anschutz Medical Campus
To effectively illustrate the decade long continuous failure of comprehensive planning by the City of Aurora, Colorado, Fitzsimons Redevelopment Authority (FRA), and the UCHealth Anschutz Medical Campus RTD regional transportation district board member Tom Tobiassen recently confirmed on December 15, 2011 there will be NO light rail access to alleviate the onslaught of visitors, employees, construction workers and continuous flow of gridlock traffic attempting to access and exit the Anschutz Medical Campus.
Therefore the problem of accessing and exiting the Anschutz Medical Campus will only be exacerbated as the future unfolds, adding to the bewilderment of angry neighbors now adversely effected by the lack of infrastructure planning executed by the City of Aurora and the Fitzsimons Redevelopment Authority (FRA) responsible for redeveloping the entire 578 acre Anschutz Medical Campus.
How did this happen? asks another angry long time hoffman heights resident. This complete failure of infrastructure planning combined with the incorrect vision and incomparable use approval for the old Fitzsimons Army base iniated by Ed Tauer, City of Aurora and the FRA effects our childrens safety, traffic congestion and rapidly declining quality of residential life.
Ed Tauer is now finally out of political office but the neighborhoods surrounding the Anschutz Medical Campus have to live with the negative consequences of the City of Aurora actions.We have now all become victims by the Fitzsimons redevelopment zoning initiated by the City of Aurora shouts another angry neighbor…..The continued expansion of the Anschutz Medical Campus is detrimental to our daily lives. As the future unfolds more and more neighbors worst fears have come to reality as they stand by helplessly and witness the ever changing Aurora, Colorado skyline with destain in their hearts and minds.
