shailen bhatt

Federal funding approved for I-70 expansion project in Denver

Dec 6, 2017

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Jessica Machetta

A federal loan of up to $416 million has been awarded to Lenexa-based Kiewit Meridiam Partners LLC for the Central Interstate 70 project. Sen. Cory Gardner said in a press release that he led efforts in the Senate to block changes to the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act program in 2015, which could have…
A new transportation chief for Colorado

Nov 21, 2017

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DAN NJEGOMIR Colorado Politics

Michael Lewis is moving up from No. 2 to the top spot at the Colorado Department of Transportation, the office of Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper announced Monday. Here’s a recap of the new chief exec’s hefty credentials, from the governor’s press announcement: Lewis most recently served as the Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer…
Shailen Bhatt stepping down as CDOT director to run national organization

Oct 26, 2017

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JOEY BUNCH

State transportation director Shailen Bhatt is stepping down next month to become president and CEO of the Intelligent Transportation Society of America. Mike Lewis, the Colorado Department of Transportation’s deputy executive director and chief operating officer, will be the interim director, the governor’s office said Thursday morning. Gov. John Hickenlooper appointed Bhatt to the position…
Eclipse traffic could create year’s biggest traffic jam on Colorado highways, CDOT warns

Aug 21, 2017

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Ernest Luning

Picture six Broncos games getting out at the same time on the same stretch of road. That’s what traffic generated by Monday’s total eclipse of the sun – a once-in-a-century event in these parts – could amount to, the Colorado Department of Transportation is warning state motorists. And for those stuck in traffic between Friday…
Staff picks: The 5 most important Colorado Politics stories of the week

May 21, 2017

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JOEY BUNCH

From Michael Bennet’s astonishment in a Denver church to Shailen Bhatt’s apologies about highway projects across the state, Colorado’s newsmakers kept Colorado Politics’ reporters busy this week. Here are the political stories that will keep the conversation going as spring turns to summer. 5. Hickenlooper and Coffman clash on oil and gas The current Democratic governor,…
Transportation in Colorado called a glass half full, but lawmakers contributed only a sip

May 16, 2017

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JOEY BUNCH

State transportation director Shailen Bhatt told leaders in Colorado Springs Tuesday morning he chooses to see a glass half full after the legislature adjourned last week. That only proves Bhatt is an optimist. Against $20 billion in projected needs over the next two decades, the General Assembly came up with just $1.88 billion, and even…
Gas tax from 1991 ain’t what it used to be for Colorado

Feb 27, 2017

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JOEY BUNCH

Colorado hasn’t raised its gas tax since the last time the Minnesota Twins won a World Series, since you knew everybody’s name on “Cheers” and since KFC was called Kentucky Fried Chicken. And that matters – a lot, state highway director Shailen Bhatt told business leaders last week at a forum organized by the Fix…
Denverites in path of big-dig I-70 project see state lawmakers as lifeline

Feb 18, 2017

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John Tomasic

At a raucous meeting hosted Thursday by the Colorado Department of Transportation and hijacked by angry residents of the Elyria-Swansea neighborhoods in central Denver, the presence of three members of the Legislature made a splash. There was state Speaker of the House Crisanta Duran in the front row mostly watching and listening to the angry…
As traffic deaths rise, study finds young adults rank highest in risky driving behavior

Feb 16, 2017

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Ernest Luning

An annual study released this week by the Washington, D.C.-based AAA Foundation found that an overwhelming majority of young-adult drivers engage in risky behavior behind the wheel, including texting, running red lights and speeding, making them the worst-behaved drivers on the road. Their older cohorts however, don’t do much better, the study found, with the…
Where do we stand? Legislative, business leaders to speak in public on transportation funding

Feb 15, 2017

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John Tomasic

Legislative leaders will meet in a public forum February 21 to talk about ongoing negotiations at the Capitol around transportation funding. The meeting will take place at a gathering of business leaders and other interested parties who are pleading with lawmakers this year to arrive at a bipartisan deal that will address the state’s crumbling…