The Roaring Fork Transportation Authority will consider new ways to use its railroad corridor, which extends from Glenwood Springs to Woody Creek and includes the popular Rio Grande Trail, to alleviate traffic on Highway 82 and respond to the valley’s transportation needs.
Author Archives: Laurine Lassalle
Laurine Lassalle is Aspen Journalism’s data desk editor, where she works to catalog and analyze local public data. She has a master’s degree in data and investigative journalism from UC Berkeley with an emphasis on environmental reporting.
Posted inEnvironment
Carrots won’t cut upper-valley congestion without sticks
The preferred alternative is projected to have a negligible impact on congestion, and in some cases makes it worse. “If that’s all we do, we’re stuck with an hour and seven minutes from Brush Creek to the S-curve basically, and that is not a happy picture,” said John Bennett, a former Aspen mayor and a coalition co-founder.
Posted inWealth and Property
The Aspen 80
There have never been more billionaires in the world—3,028, by Forbes’ count, crossing the 3,000 threshold for the first time in 2025. It stands to reason that there also have never been more billionaires in Aspen, their collective influence shaping the community’s social fabric.
Posted inEnvironment
Once in doubt, the E175 will fly to Aspen this summer
Tomcich told Aspen Journalism via email that he would be surprised if the E175 does not face weight restrictions during the summer months — just as nearly all aircraft, including the CRJ700, do in the summer at ASE.
Posted inEnvironment
AI vehicle counters to provide better input on upper valley traffic flows
Each counter has a camera, operating 24/7, that captures both directions of traffic and an AI-processing unit that translates the video into data. This system is capable of counting the number of vehicles passing by and can distinguish vehicle types based on the Federal Highway Administration’s 13 vehicle category classifications.
Posted inEnvironment
Forecasting what will fly if runway is moved animates airport debate
Data from other airports in the Western U.S. that serve mountain-resort destinations where such planes can land suggests there is relatively little demand for private Boeing 737s that are currently too big for Aspen.
Posted inLocal Public Data
‘We’ve never really been older before’
Full-time residents are getting older in the Roaring Fork Valley, as in most of the United States, but the local economy and its challenges are highlighting this generational rebalancing. The midvalley area has seen the most dramatic demographic shift in recent years with the older-adult population growing faster and in some towns now outnumbering children.
Posted inLocal Public Data
Data dashboard: Winter occupancy reaches 59% in Aspen and Snowmass
• Winter occupancy in Aspen and Snowmass reached 59%, down from 61.6% last year but the number of room nights sold went up by 3.3%.
• The Fork ran at 49% of average at Stillwater and at 65% of average at Emma, on May 27.
• Snowpack at McClure Pass and North Lost Trail is gone.
Posted inLocal Public Data
Data dashboard: Local streamflows on the rise
• The Fork ran at 453 cfs or 92% of average below Maroon Creek on March 19, up from 192 cfs and 66% of average last week.
• Lake Powell was 34.24% full on May 19, up from 33.99% on May 12.
• High air temperatures at ASE went as high as 67°F on May 13 and 16.
Posted inLocal Public Data
Data dashboard: Local rivers are running below average
• The Fork ran at 36.4% of average at Stillwater and 66% of average below Maroon Creek on May 12.
• Snowpack at McClure Pass reached 0.5 inches of snow-water equivalent on May 12, slightly up from 0.3 inches last week.
• Lake Powell’s elevation has gained one foot of water since last week.
