highway funding

Colorado’s highways are crumbling, gridlocked and unsafe

Jan 12, 2018

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Tony Milo

For several years, the Colorado Contractors Association, along with other community leaders, elected officials and concerned citizens, has been sounding the alarm about the state of our transportation infrastructure. The facts are clear: our roads are crumbling; safety is at risk, and our highways cannot handle the volume of growth. Our challenge in 2018 remains…
THE PODIUM: It’s time to make transportation a priority for our tax dollars

Dec 28, 2017

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John Cooke

In the 20-year period since 1997 spanning three governorships – those of Bill Owens, Bill Ritter and John Hickenlooper – one governor stands out as proposing starvation budgets for Colorado’s state highways and roadways. That governor is John Hickenlooper. We are talking about each governor’s priorities for spending taxpayer dollars through the General Fund budget,…
A roadmap for funding transportation: First, end waste and cronyism in the budget

Jul 27, 2017

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DAN NJEGOMIR Colorado Politics

Driving in Colorado isn’t easy, and it’s getting harder every day – from potholes to all the time wasted sitting in traffic. But the fix to these problems requires politicians to make the same kind of tough decisions that small businesses and families make every day. The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) says it needs $900…
When talking to the Springs, the governor’s got to talk transportation

Feb 9, 2017

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DAN NJEGOMIR Colorado Politics

Think of it as the elephant in the room – and that’s not a reference to the fact that Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper was surrounded by Republicans Wednesday when he addressed a gathering of civic and business leaders in Colorado Springs. No, it was the other elephant: I-25’s near-constant state of gridlock. Sure, the governor had the usual…
Speaker Duran says transportation funding must be tied to education

Feb 8, 2017

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Peter Marcus

House Speaker Crisanta Duran on Wednesday broadened negotiations around transportation funding by challenging Republicans to support a solution that also protects schools. The Democratic speaker offered a laundry list of possible solutions, including taking another look at restructuring the Hospital Provider Fee. The proposal has derailed budget talks in the past, and it is believed…
Study: Public transit getting left by the roadside in Colorado

Feb 3, 2017

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DAN NJEGOMIR Colorado Politics

More food for thought as state lawmakers gird for an epic push to forge a transportation-funding plan: A report released by the Boulder-based Southwest Energy Efficiency Project, or SWEEP, says Colorado is ranked 29th among states in per capita funding for public transit, investing just one-twentieth of the national average in the likes of buses and light rail. From SWEEP’s press…
I-70 expansion in Denver: freeway ‘without a future,’ or without an alternative?

Jan 31, 2017

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DAN NJEGOMIR Colorado Politics

State lawmakers embroiled in the 2017 session’s Great Transportation Debate may want to take a moment away from the standoff over how to raise highway revenue so they can ponder a parallel issue – what kinds of transportation projects the public gets for the money. It’s an old question in its own right: Even if transportation dollars grew on trees, are…
Road usage charge ‘worst of both worlds’

Nov 16, 2016

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Mike McKibbin

Calling it “the worst of both worlds,” Colorado House Minority Leader Patrick Neville (R-Castle Rock) is warning a road usage charge program proposed by the Colorado Department of Transportation would mean a massive statewide tax hike. In a brief statement released Tuesday, Nov. 15, Neville voiced opposition to such a program. “CDOT is suggesting the state…