In late 2020, the Common Sense Institute (CSI), a non-partisan think tank, released A Path Forward: A Common Sense Strategy for the Continued Viability of Colorado’s Transportation Network. The study detailed the scope of the “unquiet crisis” plaguing Colorado’s transportation system.

“The system is now under pressure from all sides: growing usage, age, antiquated financing, and expensive inputs. As a result, Colorado is experiencing increases in congestion and further roadway degradation,” according to the CSI study. “Colorado can’t fix these long emerging problems in a day, but the longer the deterioration continues the higher the future cost of solving it will be.”

How severe is the crisis? A January 2022 report released by TRIP, a Washington, D.C.-based national transportation organization, found that 47% of Colorado’s major roads are in poor or mediocre condition. Perhaps even more eye-opening, TRIP estimates the condition of our infrastructure system costs drivers $675 per year in the form of additional repairs, accelerated vehicle depreciation, increased fuel consumption, and tire wear. Further, roads and highways are the backbone of Colorado’s economy. According to CDOT’s 2019 Freight Plan about 77% of the $332 billion worth of commodities shipped to and from the state each year go by truck

The reality is, however, that drivers do not have to look past their morning commute to know the roads are increasingly congested and in need of repair. Trip reliability, the ability to get from one point to another in a predictable amount of time, is slipping away. As a resident of Northern Colorado, I remember when you could rely on a trip to the airport or downtown taking an hour. Today, trip reliability is almost nonexistent; a trip on I-25 from Fort Collins to Denver can take two hours or more on a relatively good day.

The authors of the CSI study concluded, “We are still optimistic enough that we believe the sweet spot of a good plan with moderate costs, and visible, accountable outcomes are within the capabilities of the political and civic circles in Colorado. Success will require those leading this effort to put aside preconceived notions or advocacy for particular modes of transportation, finance and/or region. The key is to work together in ways that have not occurred to date and to consider that some progress is vastly more useful than none.”

The good news: the study’s conclusion combined with failed attempts to address the crisis served as a siren call. Legislators and advocates on both sides of the aisle came together in 2021 to try and solve the transportation quagmire once again.

Potential solution?

During the 2021 legislative session, lawmakers passed, and Gov. Polis signed, SB21-260, titled Sustainability Of The Transportation System. The bill’s sponsors and supporters praised the effort and noted the measure included something for everyone to be upset about and something for everyone to be excited about — as the bill expanded funding for roads, bridges, electric vehicles and charging stations and multimodal options.

At the time SB21-260 was passed, CDOT expected it to generate about $3.5 billion between 2022 and 2032 through a laundry list of new fees as well as some of the federal stimulus funds, including:

• A road usage fee that ratchets up annually over 10 years to a maximum of 8 cents.
• A fee of 3.5 cents per prearranged ride in a zero-emission vehicle and 7.5 cents for every other vehicle.
• A 6.9 cent fee for retail deliveries.
• A fee of 5.3 cents for each delivery to support a fund to transition government fleets to electric vehicles.
• Raising the $50 registration fee for electric vehicles with an index that makes EVs pay an amount in charges roughly equal to what combustion vehicles pay.
• Indexing the current $2 fee per day on vehicle rentals to inflation, exempting car-sharing programs.
• Changing the Statewide Bridge Enterprise to the Statewide Bridge and Tunnel Enterprise, and authorizing its board to impose a fee on diesel and deliveries.

Out of the $3.5 billion, SB260 directs approximately $950 million to Colorado’s cities and counties to help support local transportation programs; and $599 million to electric vehicle (EVs) charging infrastructure and the conversion of vehicle fleets to EVs. Of the remaining funds going to the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), about $585 million is dedicated to support for transit and other multimodal options. Sponsors estimated this would leave approximately $2.5 billion in additional funding, or about $200 million more per year over the course of the decade for work on state roads and bridges. However, the latest economic forecast reports estimate that SB 260 will deliver significantly less than the predicted amount.   

This additional $2 billion for CDOT is a significant sum of money with about half of those dollars directed the $3.2 billion unfunded portion of CDOT’s 10-year plan.

All of the above

While SB-260 was moving through the legislative process, the focus, not surprisingly was on all these revenue measures. It turns out, however, that SB 260 is as much about policy and planning as it is about funding our transportation infrastructure.

Specifically, Section 30 of the legislation mandates, “CDOT and metropolitan planning organizations to engage in an enhanced level of planning, analysis, community engagement, and air quality monitoring with respect to transportation capacity projects.”

These substantial new planning requirements actually make it far more challenging and costly to obtain project approvals for road projects that expand capacity. Given that under existing environmental processes the central I-70 expansion in Denver took more than a decade and millions of dollars in design modifications, legal, and study costs, the question is, can any major future capacity project survive these “enhanced levels of planning?”

The focus on curbing greenhouse gas emissions is understandable and we fully support an “all of the above” strategy when it comes to transportation. A true “all of the above approach,” however not only includes transit, electric vehicles and biking but also includes maintaining and expanding the capacity of our roads and highways.

CDOT’s new 10-year plan gives us a glimpse at the future. It’s a fluid plan meant to accommodate the transportation needs of the entire state. The latest version, passed by the gubernatorially appointed Transportation Commission, includes only two — yes, two — major interstate highway capacity projects: I-70 at Floyd Hill and one segment of I-25 north from Longmont to Berthoud.

Up north, we are grateful for the commitment to fund this key segment on I-25, but the reality is, its not enough. Colorado is a growing state. We simply cannot ignore this issue. Commuter rail, mass transit, and bike paths, while useful, cannot and will not serve as full substitutes for roadway capacity in the foreseeable future. Our economy, our ability to commute, and our quality of life all call for realigning use of the additional funds generated by SB-260 on roadway capacity improvements and their maintenance. For many reasons, SB 260 holds promise but transportation in Colorado remains an unsettled question.

Dave Clark is a former Loveland city councilman and former Loveland mayor pro tem. He is former chair of the North Front Range Metropolitan Planning Organization.