Mitchell Elementary
Mitchell Elementary

The Mitchell playground   (or see map 2) is 84 feet from
the proposed edge of the road and the front door of the
school is less than 300 ft from the road.  Per the City of
Golden, current traffic volumes on Highway 93 are
estimated at 25,000 vehicles per day.  Dr. Gauderman’s
research determined that at the threshold of 50,000
vehicles per day and living within 500 yards of the road,
children were at elevated health risks.  

Expansion of Highway 93 to 4 lanes in front of the school
would increase traffic volumes to an estimated 45,000+
vehicles per day.     CDOT’s draft Environmental Impact
Statement estimates 70,000+ vehicles per day if Highway
93 were expanded to 6 lanes.   In addition, the NW
Parkway would be a route around Denver to avoid heavy
urban traffic through downtown Denver.     More than
likely, increased diesel truck traffic would result on the
road.  Trucks emit much higher levels of toxic particulate
matter emissions than autos.

CDOT has spent $18 million conducting the NW Corridor
Environmental Impact Statement to build a 6 -lane highway
within 84 feet of the Mitchell Elementary school
playground.   CDOT’s right- of-way will be less than 300
feet from the front door of the school.    Not one penny has
been spent by the State of Colorado or Jefferson County
to study the health impact of this proposed expansion on
the 500 elementary children who attend the school.    
Parents have been denied repeated requests for health or
air quality studies.    

Letters from the Mitchell PTA requesting health studies:

September 2006 to Jefferson County Health Department
February 2007 to Russell George, CDOT Executive
Director

Currently, CDOT and the Colorado Department of Public
Health are not planning to conduct an air quality or health
study at Mitchell as part of the NW Corridor Draft
Environmental Impact Study.  

Timing is critical, since CDOT's Draft Environmental Impact
Statement is due out Spring 2007, which will make a final
recommendation on the NW Corridor and the final plans
for the Hwy 93 expansion.

Several Mitchell Elementary parents have contacted
nationally renowned air quality attorney, Bob Yuhnke, to
represent them and propose new state legislation to
change our direction on transportation planning and
school citing.

What can parents do?