By Ashley Portillo | CBS Colorado
With years of deferred maintenance and not enough funding, some Arapahoe County roads are not getting the repairs they need and are quickly falling apart. County leaders say it’s in part due to a major shortfall with the overall county budget and inflation. However, the county hopes that additional revenue generated by the passage of a ballot measure last November might help make much-needed road improvements.
The county’s 2024 “Annual Report and Infrastructure Report Card” released this May shares more information about the status of the county’s roads.
The annual report assesses Arapahoe County’s $1.7 billion in infrastructure, including roads and bridges, traffic signals, signs and guardrails.
With more than 800 miles of roads to maintain within Arapahoe County, the report shows 40% of county roads were in “poor” or “very poor” condition in 2024. The other 60% of county roads were in “excellent, good or fair” condition, with the goal being 85%
“It’s not a huge shock,” said Commissioner Jessica Campbell of District 2. ” We’ve been in a budget shortfall for a while and falling behind. As we talked to our constituents, there was about $316.6 million of deferred maintenance last as of last year.”
Campbell says, for about 25 years, the county was constrained by the Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) which limits how much tax revenue the government can keep. Arapahoe County was one of few counties out of 64 in the state that were constrained by TABOR. With voters passing ballot measure 1A in November, the county is now released from spending limits imposed by TABOR starting this year.
“We weren’t able to fully benefit from the growth that was coming in, and so as growth was coming in, and our tax dollars did not keep up with the needs, and the demand, and the wear and tear,” Campbell continued.
Record inflation, demand from residents and a growing community has also led to roads steadily deteriorating and maintenance being delayed for years.
“It just is going to continue to degrade over time, and those repairs become more and more expensive over time,” Campbell said. “So then it becomes harder and harder to catch up.”