Colorado’s $1 Billion Road Gap Pushes Funding Fight to the Ballot

By Marissa Ventrelli | The Gazette

A pair of measures proposing a new way to provide additional funding for Colorado’s roads, bridges and highways could be headed to the ballot next November.

The initiatives, backed by retired contractor Donald Hanneman and retired tech executive Michael Hancock, would require all state revenue from sales and use taxes, excise taxes, tolls, and fees related to vehicles, fuel, rideshares and retail deliveries, along with a percentage of sales tax, dedicated exclusively toward the maintenance, operation and expansion of the state’s roads.

Currently, a portion of the state’s transportation-related revenue is allocated to the legislature’s general fund.

Enterprise fees, such as those from vehicle rentals and the congestion impact fee, are earmarked for various transportation projects, including mass transit and environmental mitigation, primarily in areas like Denver and Boulder.

According to a recent study by the nonprofit think tank the Reason Foundation, Colorado ranks 43rd in the nation for its transportation infrastructure.

Roads and bridges that are deteriorated, congested, or lack safety features cost Colorado drivers $11.4 billion annually, according to the proposed ballot measures’ proponents.

“The state is going in the wrong direction,” said Tony Milo, President and CEO of the Colorado Contractors’ Association. “Every year, we put off adequately funding our roads, and every year, the problem gets worse. Our roads and highways are the state’s backbone and must be our top priority.”

During the last legislative session, a group of elected officials, trade and business groups sent a letter to the Joint Budget Committee, the legislature’s budget-crafting panel, urging its members not to cut $100 million from the state’s transportation budget. According to the letter, the state already faces a $350 million annual transportation funding shortfall.

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