Colorado’s inventory of poor and structurally deficient bridges keeps growing and is more than outpacing the funds necessary for repairs.
Only two years ago, the tattered- bridges list stood at 116. Now it’s 128, the state Department of Transportation says.
So it’s good to know that newly increased auto registration fees are beginning to add money for repairs.
The new fees will ultimately bring in about $250 million annually.
It’s not enough, though. The most expensive repairs are needed on the stretch of Interstate 70 west of Colorado Boulevard, which could cost $800 million to replace. Experts say the span has but 10 useful years left.
State lawmakers already battling with the recession are nonetheless going to have to continue to grapple with this problem.
We shouldn’t forget that a panel of experts has recommended that Colorado spend an extra $500 million to $1.5 billion each year to maintain and improve roads and bridges.
Attempts to create other funding options, such as new tolling authorities for communities, or finding ways to charge drivers for the miles they travel didn’t survive serious consideration in the last legislative session.
But that’s going to have to change in the not-too-distant future. Without a reliable and safe transportation infrastructure, our way of life and work will suffer.
