We are well on our way to securing the necessary funding to assure the expansion of the North I-25 Corridor to two lanes by 2025. But key to our success is the passage of a statewide bonding program to deliver no less than $3.5 billion in critical road projects across Colorado — including North I-25!
We need your engagement with us today.
Tomorrow, Senate Bill 1, the capstone legislative measure on transportation funding and finance, will be heard in the House Transportation Committee, a committee in which Fort Collins Representative Joann Ginal is a member.
Senate Bill 1 builds upon our collective efforts over the last three years to bring about a $3.5B bonding program that will accelerate critical transportation projects across Colorado. As it left the Senate on a unanimous bi-partisan vote, it captures $500M of $1.3B in new, unencumbered revenue projected for FY 18-19 to fund the state transportation system providing an important jumpstart to address $9B in statewide transportation needs — including funding for North I-25. As importantly, SB 1 restores General Fund funding to transportation by dedicating $250M annually to CDOT over a 20-year period to fund the repayment of $3.5B TRANS bond issuance, also authorized in the measure – a critical piece to accelerate projects throughout the state and build large scale projects.
As the measure faces the House, the majority desires to offer significant changes to the measure including eliminating the TRANs bond finance component and the commitment restore general fund funding of transportation for 20 years.
Meanwhile, an open question about the timing of the TRANS bond election remains. Our preference is to provide voters with the opportunity to support a referred $3.5B TRANS Bond question in November 2018. By acting this year, we will begin to realize real relief in our state transportation system beginning in 2019 and we will save upwards of half a billion dollars in interest and project costs savings over waiting a year…savings that can be put into roads and not repayment costs.
Now is the time to engage with Representative Ginal. Please call or email Representative Ginal to share your support of Senate Bill 1 and ask her to:
- Oppose amendments to eliminate bonding and the 20 year General Fund commitment
- Share your preference that the TRANS Bond Question should happen in 2018
- Support amendments offered by Representative Perry Buck, House Sponsor of SB 1
- Finally, please thank her for her support of transportation funding and share why North I-25 is so important to you!
Representative Ginal can be reached at 303.866.4569 or [email protected]. If you would, please let me know of your efforts and how your conversations (email or phone) go!
Thank you for taking a few minutes today to engage with us to reinforce the importance of North I-25!