As you know, Interstate 25 north of Denver is a growing problem, especially the part north of Longmont. The Fix North I-25 Business Alliance has been leading the effort to get it widened. The 2017 Colorado Legislative Session kicked off January 11 and we wanted to give you a quick update on success to date and to showcase opportunities for you to share impact in 2017.
- We are pleased to announce that $270.5 million has been secured for North I-25 over past 2 years.
- ~$22.1 million. Crossroads Interchange bridges being rebuilt. Will be done end of 2017
- ~$11.4 million. Berthoud Hill south-bound climbing lane was completed in December
- ~$237 million. Additional lane each way between Fort Collins and Johnstown to be done the end of 2020
- The Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce has been a key leader in this effort through the Fix North I-25 Business Alliance. The Alliance executed a lobbying and media relations effort, drove key strategy, did direct lobbying, and helped build statewide support for transportation funding by founding Fix Colorado Roads. This fall, the Alliance has been working with other associations, interested organizations and state legislators in building a plan for the 2017 Legislative session.
While we’ve made good progress, this only gets us part way.
- The Fix North I-25 Business Alliance will work to pass legislation with the 2017 Colorado Legislature to commit general fund revenues to transportation.
- The Alliance will also work to pass legislation to with the 2017 State Legislature to renew TRANS bonds. Bonding is important to North I-25 to accelerate construction schedule. The current TRANS bonds expire in 2017 and this is a perfect opportunity to ask the voters to renew those bonds to provide $3.1 billion for transportation needs across the state.
- And we won’t stop with state funding. The Alliance will continue to assess opportunities for infrastructure funding from the new federal administration as well as starting to explore local funding mechanisms like Regional Transportation Authorities to fill the gap between the $270.5 million raised to expand North I-25 and the $1.2 billion needed.
Transportation is certainly a hot topic for the 2017 Colorado Legislative session and we invite you to get involved. Watch for key state leaders to discuss transportation during the session opening tomorrow, January 11. This is a good start for the issue, but we need your help. We invite you to share your thoughts on transportation funding with your legislators throughout the session, starting tomorrow. You can quickly send a note through our Fix North I-25 website (fixnorthi25.com).
Thank you for your support of the Fix North I-25 Business Alliance. We’ll keep you updated on our progress throughout the session!
Go to www.FixNorthI25.com today to sign up to learn more about how to make a difference on this important business issue.