Summit County applauds the Colorado General Assembly for taking bold steps toward solving many of Colorado’s transportation challenges with the recently passed Senate Bill 260, Sustainability of the Transportation System. This ambitious but realistic $5.3 billion transportation bill provides critical, ongoing funding for local road and highway repair and priority infrastructure projects, while addressing climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector.

This bill provides over $2 billion in funds to towns and counties over the next 10 years for construction, engineering, maintenance, repair, equipment and administration of town and county roadways. After years of failed legislative attempts and ballot measures to boost transportation funding, this bill raises existing registration fees and gas taxes for the first time in 30 years, distributes federal stimulus funds, and creates ongoing funding streams for not only roads and bridges, but also many other transportation priorities in Summit County.

The bill addresses greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles by supporting electric vehicle infrastructure and helps communities like ours continue to expand public transit options and services at the Summit Stage. The bill strongly supports alternatives to passenger vehicle travel, with funding for multimodal options like bike paths, pedestrian improvements, ride-share programs, carpooling apps and more.

From Blue River to Heeney, from Keystone to Copper, we hear almost daily from folks in the community that their roads are in disrepair or that we have serious public safety issues because of a lack of investment in road and bridge infrastructure. This bill would take a much-needed step toward resolving these challenges.

Colorado has been postponing dealing with transportation funding for too long. The urgency is undeniable for fixing our roads, reducing vehicle miles driven, providing incentives and support for electric vehicles, offering multimodal options for travel and addressing climate change. Summit County encourages the state Legislature to take this critical step for our citizens and our environment.