In the weeks before the Nov. 2 election, The Denver Post is asking Colorado’s three gubernatorial candidates to respond to a series of questions on some critical (and not-so-critical) issues. This week, they tackle transportation, and were asked to respond to this question:
A recent report suggested that for the first time, more than 50 percent of Colorado’s highways are in “poor” condition. Given the state’s budget shortfall, how can the state get more money into transportation coffers to not only pay for routine maintenance but also for expanding lanes, fixing more bridges and transit? Also, much has been said about the need to “fix” I-70 through the mountains. Would that corridor be your No. 1 priority? Or would it be another arterial, such as I-25 north into Wyoming or south through Colorado Springs?
Any businessman will tell you that transportation is fundamental to success. Whenever I’ve met with businesses that want to locate in Colorado, the state’s infrastructure for moving people and products is a top concern.
It’s important for Colorado to have the best transportation system we can afford, but in this economy that means doing more with less — even as the demands on the state’s infrastructure increase. According to CDOT, there are 178 bridges that are 75 years old, stretches of highways that are 75 to 100 years old, and expanses of interstate that haven’t been improved since Eisenhower was president. And gridlock on Interstate 70 continues to be a major problem.
Tough times call for tough choices and pinching every penny. By making our projects as efficient as possible, we can do more with the funding we have today. But there is no silver-bullet solution.
As governor, I will work hard to leverage federal dollars and take advantage of federal low-interest loan programs, such as those offered by the Transportation Infrastructure Financing Innovation Act. I will work with the private sector to support infrastructure investment, just as I have done as mayor.
The I-70 west mountain corridor is one of the best examples in Colorado of a critical corridor with transportation needs that affects commerce, tourism, recreation and overall economic development in the state. The question of how to fund needed improvements along this corridor must be a priority for the next governor. I have already suggested one way to help solve the problem: interim anti-congestion measures, such as restricting heavy-truck use at weekend rush periods.
We should move quickly to finalize the programmatic environmental impact statement laying out the long-term vision for I-70, which includes a feasibility study for rail. Cost estimates for that kind of project are in the billions, so we will need to discuss interim measures first.
As the chair of the transportation committee for the U.S. Conference of Mayors and a champion of FasTracks who helped build unanimous support among more than 30 metropolitan mayors, I have practical experience leading coalitions that have improved infrastructure and transportation. As governor, I will use that experience to address the state’s transportation needs.
Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper is the Democratic candidate for governor of Colorado.
