A coalition of state Senators approved a resolution drafted by the Morgan County Board of Commissioners urging the Colorado Department of Transportation to invest more money into fixing roads.

Some 70% of Morgan County’s roads have been labeled by the transportation agency as having “low drivability life,” according to the resolution, which was introduced by Sen. Byron Pelton, R-Sterling.

A report by the Reason Foundation ranked Colorado 47th in the nation for rural road conditions.

Pelton gave The Denver Gazette a tour of his district’s crumbling roads over the summer, saying CDOT’s lack of investment represents the urban-rural divide he and other lawmakers frequently mention at the Capitol.

“I’ve been complaining about the roads in my district a lot lately, and I wanted you guys to hear from (the commissioners) what’s going on in my communities,” Pelton told his colleagues in the Senate on Tuesday.

The resolution passed through the Senate Transportation and Energy Committee last week on a 6-3 vote, which Pelton admitted surprised him. All Republicans on the committee, as well as Democratic Reps. Tony Exum of Colorado Springs, Kyle Mullica of Thornton, and Tom Sullivan of Centennial voted in favor of the measure.

Sen. Jeff Bridges, D-Greenwood Village, said he wouldn’t be voting for the resolution, but added he believes the state should invest more into Morgan County’s roads.

“We need to be investing more in roads across the state,” said Bridges, who serves on the Joint Budget Committee. “For lots of reasons, we don’t have the funds in the budget to do that.”

Bridges said he disagrees with Pelton’s approach to the issue because “the power of your legislator shouldn’t determine whether or not your county gets funding.”

“To just simply say that legislators can run resolutions saying ‘put more money into my district’ is not the way we should do things,” he said.

Sen. Rod Pelton, R-Cheyenne Wells — who is Pelton’s cousin — said if anything, the resolution should cover the entire Eastern Plains.

The state transportation agency isn’t doing its job, Pelton said, accusing the department of spending more of its money on green energy projects than road maintenance.

“This state needs to change some priorities, that is for sure, and our roads need to be top and center,” he said. “Everything you eat, everything you wear, the fuel you put in your car comes through our highways. So, we need to change some priorities and get more money to our roads. This resolution is one step towards it.”

The resolution passed on an 18-12 vote, with all Republicans and six Democrats — Exum, Julie Gonzales of Denver, Janice Marchman of Loveland, Dylan Roberts of Frisco, Majority Leader Robert Rodriguez of Denver, and President James Coleman of Denver — voting in favor.

The resolution will now be sent to CDOT Director Shoshana Lew and Gov. Jared Polis.