Breaking through barriers

The "psyche" of Aurora has been formed by boundaries, and then breaking them.

Problem 1 (up to 1970):  Aurora was "trapped" by the Rocky Mountain Arsenal (25 sq miles) to the north, Stapleton, Fitzsimons and Lowry in the middle, and the Cherry Creek Reservoir on the south.  The band of development between Stapleton and Lowry was only 9 blocks, (from 11th to Montview),  and between Lowry and Cherry Creek was only 32 blocks (Alameda to Hampden).  The eastern boundary of the city is really Havana.
Solution 1: (finished in 1976). Build I-225 to go around Stapleton, Fitzsimons, and Lowry.  This opened up the area to the east of I-225 to development.  Result:  Aurora's population grew from 75,000 in 1970 to 222,000 in 1990.  And the eastern boundary is pushed out to Chambers Rd, 3 miles east.

Problem 2 (up to 1990):  The barriers of the Arsenal and Cherry Creek Reservoir remain, and development is now stopped by Buckley, and the Plains Conservation Center.
Solution 2:  (finished 2003).  Build E-470, a 47-mile toll road, at a cost of $1.2 billion, and completely bypass all of these barriers.  Result:  Aurora's population grew from 222,000 in 1990 to 325,000 in 2015.  The eastern boundary is now E-470, another 5 miles to the east.

Problem 3 (through about 2030):  Aurora is tired of growing and just wants to absorb what it has and increase the density.  But forces outside its control are greedy and want to drive growth.  Ok, Denver's area around DIA, we understand.  But there is also Front Range Airport (Adams County),  Prosper (Arapahoe County), and Lowry Range (State Land Board).  These 4 entities want their piece of the pie.  And you can't just ignore them.  DIA is 52 square miles, with thousands of acres of land to be developed.  Front Range Airport is 4,000 acres.  Prosper is 5,000 acres.  Lowry Range has a whopping 26,000 acres, most of which will be open space, but it still needs about 3,000 acres developed in order to raise money for schools.  And don't forget about Aurora Highlands, which is 5,000 acres.
Solution 3 (about 2035):  Build about 100 miles of 6-lane boulevards, that are essentially new freeways.  This will push the eastern boundary all the way out to Watkins Rd, which is another 6 miles to the east.

Problem 4 (through about 2050):  Ok, this is in the realm of science fiction, but it could happen.  The city of Aurora, with a population of over 1 million, much bigger than Denver, needs some more "living room".  It feels trapped by the Aurora Reservoir and Lowry Range to the south, and the Front Range Airport and DIA to the north.  Plus I-25 is getting crowded.
Solution 4 (about 2060):  Build a 200 mile north-south tollway from Pueblo to Ft Collins, about 25 miles east of I-25.  Actually, this is already planned.  It is called the Prairie Falcon Parkway Express, but it was killed in 2008.  But it will be back in about 40 years.