Getting your player ready...
DENVER—Colorado transportation officials say an asphalt shortage will delay 34 road projects this year.
Department of Transportation spokeswoman Stacey Stegman says officials will give priority to projects on heavily used roads, while other projects will be left incomplete until more asphalt is purchased.
Transportation officials said Monday the shortage is due in part to refineries focusing on more profitable products such as diesel fuel instead of the liquid used for asphalt mix.
Adding to the problem is a shortage of polymer, which is added to asphalt to reduce cracking and rutting on roads.
Stegman says the implications of the shortage could be huge.
