(Editor’s note: This story was updated to include information from the governor’s letter to the Joint Budget Committee.)

Colorado’s bustling economy gave state lawmakers a gift for roads, an estimated up to $300 million more than expected to spend over the next two years, starting with the legislative session that commences next Wednesday.

After initially requesting no new state budget money to deal with clogged interstates and impending growth, Hickenlooper said this week the state should put a good chunk of that money, $148.2 million, into roads and transit and spread around the rest to unmet needs such as education, affordable housing, water infrastructure and boosting the state’s savings for hard times.

Statehouse Republicans want the whole highway enchilada.

Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Randy Baumgardner of Hot Sulphur Springs Thursday evening called Hickenlooper’s offer a starting point, not a finish line for roads, given the billions of dollars in needs.

“While Senate Republicans welcome the governor’s willingness to look to these unexpected new revenues as a road-funding source, the relatively small sums he’s talking about, on a one-time basis, frankly don’t begin to address the huge road maintenance backlog we’ve amassed through years of systematic neglect,” Baumgardner said in a statement. “You just can’t realistically tackle the backlog, much less get ahead of our road modernization efforts, without bonding, which requires a much more meaningful, long-term commitment of dollars.”

He concluded. “The governor’s plan might help jump-start the truck during his final year in office, but the truck will soon be back sitting on the shoulder again, leaving Coloradans stranded, unless a longer-term fix is found.”

Baumgardner’s assertion isn’t entirely true.

Colorado Politics examined the governor’s letter to the Joint Budget Committee Friday morning.

While it’s true the governor calls for $148.2 million in the 2018-19 budget, which lawmakers will vote on this session, that’s not the whole request.

The governor just doesn’t specify how much money roads will get in future years, along with more funding for schools and putting money into state reserves. The governor’s office estimates it will be between $100 million and $150 million a year.

The state doesn’t yet know about the impact of the federal tax reform on the state budget. Republicans contend it will have a net benefit to the state. Democrats aren’t that confident and will instead keep close watch on revenue projections before committing to the dollar figure for transportation that Baumgardner and other Republicans want.

“Once more certainty exists about the revenue projections, we look forward to developingappropriate contingent language that can allow this structure to allocate the new resources butalso not create obligations before the revenue is collected,” Hickenlooper’s letter states.

So his statement was correct as to the $148M for FY 19-20. But it is not true to say that the Governor only put forward a one-time funding plan.

House Speaker Crisanta Duran and Rep. Millie Hamner, who chairs the powerful Joint Budget Committee, embraced their fellow Democrat’s proposal to divvy up the windfall.

“I thank the governor for making a thoughtful proposal,” Duran said in a statement. “House Democrats remain committed to prioritizing investments that will help hard-working Coloradans, including K-12 and higher education as well as affordable housing, transportation, rural broadband and other infrastructure.”

Hamner added, “Our state has no shortage of unmet needs. As the budget picture becomes clearer in the coming months, we will be seeking a balanced approach to investing any new state revenue to maximize the benefit to Colorado families.”