News

ACTION ALERT

March 28, 2017

ICYMI…Good News from the House Finance Committee

Yesterday, HB 1242, the comprehensive, bi-partisan measure to address our transportation infrastructure won a bi-partisan show of support in the House Finance Committee. By a margin of 10-3, the Committee voted YES on HB 1242.

“The risk of not doing anything creates a dramatic risk, particularly in our rural areas that will inevitably get left behind unless we come forward with a statewide transportation plan. The most important thing that we can do is present a solution to voters, and let the people decide,” said bill sponsor, Speaker of the House Crisanta Duran. Read more in the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel.

The bill now moves to the House Appropriations Committee and will likely be heard by the full House on Thursday.

We can’t stop now…We need your voice TODAY!

House Bill 1242 is scheduled for debate by the full House on Thursday. Please contact your Representative TODAY and urge their support for this important bill.

 Sample Message

Dear Representative:

I’m contacting you today to urge you to support House Bill 1242. HB1242 gives voters an opportunity to help solve our transportation problem. Our roads and bridges are crumbling. Traffic congestion is only getting worse. It’s costing us money and our quality of life is at risk. Coloradans need and deserve a quality transportation infrastructure. Please vote yes on HB 1242!

About House Bill 1242

HB 17-1242 is a comprehensive, statewide transportation measure that will address Colorado’s long-range needs, tackle the state’s highest priorities, give city and county governments a big boost with flexible dollars, and ensure more Coloradans across the state have access to transportation options, from kids to commuters to seniors. 

In sum, the bill refers a measure to the ballot that asks voters to raise the state sales tax from 2.9% to 3.52%. At the same time, the bill cuts the FASTER Road Safety surcharge and eliminates late fees, saving Coloradans money on their vehicle registration fees. The revenues generated by the measure would allow the state to leverage up to $3.5 billion in bonding in order to accelerate the construction of several critically important projects across the state. It also provides a flexible revenue stream to local governments to be dedicated to the transportation projects closest to home for each city and county in the state. And it creates a new program to fund important mobility related improvements statewide. This program would be administered by CDOT and overseen by a citizen and local government driven committee, thereby enhancing transparency and accountability. Additional accountability measures are included in the measure with the authorization of a simple-to-navigate website so Coloradans can track the progress cost and timeline of projects, and ensure the state is spending taxpayer dollars wisely.

Need More Facts About Our Transportation Infrastructure?

According to a recent TRIP report, “Colorado Transportation by the Numbers: Meeting the State’s Need for Safe, Smooth and Efficient Mobility,” 41 percent of major, locally and state-maintained urban roads in Colorado are in poor condition and six percent of Colorado’s locally and state-maintained bridges are structurally deficient. The state’s major urban roads are becoming increasingly congested, with drivers wasting significant amounts of time and fuel each year. And, more than 2,400 people were killed in crashes on Colorado’s roads from 2011 to 2015.

Consider these numbers:

$6.8 billion. Driving on deficient roads costs Colorado motorists a total of $6.8 billion annually in the form of additional vehicle operating costs (VOC), congestion-related delays and traffic crashes.

Colorado Springs, $1,954; Denver, $2,162; Northern Colorado, $1,396; Grand Junction, $1,264; and Pueblo, $1,553. Drivers in the state’s largest urban areas incur annual costs as a result of driving on deficient roads. TRIP has calculated the cost to the average motorist in the state’s largest urban areas in the form of additional VOC, congestion-related delays and traffic crashes.

Colorado Springs, 35 hours; Denver, 49 hours; Northern Colorado, 17 hours; Grand Junction, 11 hours; Pueblo, 10 hours. Annual time wasted in congestion for drivers in the state’s largest urban areas. Mounting congestion robs drivers of time and fuel.

6%. Six percent of Colorado’s bridges are structurally deficient, meaning they have significant deterioration to the major components of the bridge.

41%. Forty-one percent of Colorado’s major urban roads are in poor condition. Forty-three percent are in mediocre or fair condition and the remaining 15 percent are in good condition.

Help Us Spread the Message on Social Media…

Please take a minute to post your support for HB 1242 on your social media networks (FaceBook, Twitter, Etc.) and use the hashtag #FixItCO.