Colorado’s new transportation fees violate the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights and several other state finance laws and should be invalidated, two conservative groups and Republican state Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg claim in a long-promised lawsuit filed late Thursday in Denver. Senate Bill 260, passed by Democrats in the legislature last year, enacted a host of new […]
road funding
Posted inPolitics and Government, Transportation
Amid budget crunch, Colorado nets much-needed windfall for road projects with strong debt sale
For once, some good budget news. Colorado received a $111 million premium on a debt issuance of $500 million, thanks to strong investor demand for state-issued debt. As a result, budget writers say that $100 million in planned cuts to the Colorado Department of Transportation over the next two years — and some additional cuts […]
Posted inPolitics and Government, Transportation
Colorado lawmakers inch forward on transportation deal as gas tax hike becomes political touch point
Behind the scenes at the Capitol, in private meetings and hushed conversations, Colorado lawmakers are talking about how to find a legislative unicorn: a bipartisan deal to find more money for transportation. The negotiations started at an impasse, only adding to the frustration felt by the advocates behind three failed prior election campaigns, but began […]
Posted inBusiness, Education, News, Politics and Government, Transportation
In-state tuition at Colorado universities could rise up to 3% on average under governor’s budget plan
In-state tuition at Colorado’s state-run colleges and universities could rise as much as 3% on average under Gov. Jared Polis’ budget proposal presented to state lawmakers on Wednesday, leaving some alarmed about the prospect of driving up the cost of higher education. The Democrat wants to spent $147 million on higher education, up a relatively […]
Posted inNews, Politics and Government, Transportation
Polling shows support for a tax hike to pay for a Front Range passenger train. But the devil is in the details.
Polling released last week by the state shows that Colorado voters along the Front Range generally favor raising sales taxes to pay for a passenger train running from Fort Collins to Pueblo. But that’s just part of the story. What the survey didn’t test was by exactly how much voters would be willing to raise […]
Posted inGrowth, News, Politics and Government, Transportation
Work on another I-70 mountain toll lane starts Monday and will span into 2021. Here’s what you need to know.
Construction launches Monday on a westbound toll lane on Interstate 70 from the Veterans Memorial Tunnels in Idaho Springs to Empire Junction, part of Colorado transportation officials’ latest effort to ease congestion on the heavily traveled roadway. Gov. Jared Polis is expected to join a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday to kick off the $70 million project […]
Posted inNews, Politics and Government, Transportation
Hazmat tankers want off “sketchy” Loveland Pass and into tunnels. Years of debate could be decided once and for all.
In a snowstorm, it can be an unsettling site: a tractor-trailer pulling a massive tanker filled with hazardous materials up the switchbacks on Loveland Pass. Impatient ski traffic weaves around the vehicle while, on both sides of slick, two-lane U.S. 6, there are steep drop-offs that mostly lack guardrails. That’s not to mention the crowded […]
Posted inBusiness, Crime and Courts, Education, Energy, Environment, Growth, Health, News, Politics and Government, Transportation
The top 10 issues to watch in Colorado’s 2019 legislative session
The new Democratic majority at the state Capitol is poised to make significant policy shifts in Colorado after four years of stalemate in a divided General Assembly. The party’s complete grip on the levers of power will move different issues to the forefront and put Republicans — who had held the state Senate since 2015 […]
Posted inBusiness, News, Technology, Transportation
Colorado’s internet of roads is a go. Soon cars will “talk” to signs and traffic signals
A plan to turn a portion of Interstate 70 into a roadway where cars communicate with street lights, signs and other internet-connected things just tripled to more than 500 miles. Colorado’s “internet of roads” project will now extend to highways that reach from Pueblo to Wyoming, and Sterling to Utah, after the state Department of […]
Posted in2018 Voter Guide, Business, Crime and Courts, Energy, Environment, Growth, News, Politics and Government, Transportation
A preview of Colorado’s 2018 ballot: Taxes, roads and an existential crisis for oil and gas
This time two years ago, Colorado voters “raised the bar” in a bid to shrink the state’s ballot and keep potentially devastating policies out of the state constitution. Two years later? In the first test of the new requirements, the statewide ballot looks as packed as ever. And Colorado political leaders say the stakes are […]