This week, the Senate Transportation Committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 1, a bill to designate General Fund dollars to our transportation infrastructure. It should come as no surprise that the Colorado Contractors Association and many others support this idea and generally any investment into our roads and bridges.

For years we have been ringing the alarm bell about the state of our transportation infrastructure. Just ask anyone sitting on I-25 during rush hour or drivers heading to the mountains and stuck on I-70 any given Saturday. I’m betting they will agree with me. As lawmakers consider this legislation and grapple with transportation, we encourage them to consider four important points.

First and foremost, a good idea only becomes good policy if it can actually be enacted into law. This bill has a long way to go to gain bi-partisan support and reach the governor’s desk. Legislators on both sides of the political aisle and the Governor’s Office must set politics aside and work together to address what has become the most pressing need on the minds of Colorado voters.

Second, a continued long-term and significant General Fund commitment to transportation is imperative. By statutorily requiring a percentage of the existing sales tax revenues be transferred to the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), Senate Bill 1 helps ensure that commitment to our state transportation system. However, the commitment is not reliable. Consider the next time our state experiences a recession or a decrease in revenue for any reason, transportation funding is likely to be reduced in favor of other state priorities. We’ve seen it happen before, and we fear it will happen again.

In other words, the transportation funding crisis will not be solved with General Fund money alone. Senate Bill 1 cannot be the final answer, we must determine a long-term, sustainable funding source for transportation.

Our transportation crisis is a crisis statewide. A General Fund investment of $300-$350 million per year into the CDOT construction program as laid out in SB 1 is needed. However, this alone does not solve the transportation funding in all parts of the state.  CDOT has documented a need of $1 billion a year and across the state our cities and counties have also identified shortfalls of hundreds of millions of dollars to relieve gridlock, improve safety, and provide mobility choices. SB 1 as written is a first step to helping CDOT address a limited number of high priority projects but does not address continuing maintenance of the existing system nor does it provide any additional funding to our cities and counties who collectively are in just as much of a funding crisis as CDOT.

And, fourth, bonding must have a sustainable dedicated funding source to service the debt. We cannot allow the good intentions in Senate Bill 1 to drive us further into crisis. The inclusion of bonding authority helps CDOT accelerate the construction of high-priority projects. However, the danger of bonding without a dedicated funding source to service the debt is very real. When and if General Fund priorities change or there is a reduction in general fund revenues, CDOT is at risk of making debt payments from their existing construction budget. This could cripple the department and create a transportation crisis bigger than the one we are currently facing. For that reason, it is advisable to utilize General Fund contributions for CDOT maintenance and pay-as-you-go projects, and work to find a sustainable dedicated funding source to service bond debt.

Our transportation system is in crisis, and it will take courage and compromise to fashion a solution that truly addresses the problem statewide for all Coloradans. We count Senate Bill 1 as a good start. We urge lawmakers in both chambers to work together and help solve this issue. We can’t afford to fail.