CDOT Puts Stimulus Funding to Work for Coloradans

DENVER - CDOT has received approval from the Colorado Transportation Commission for a plan to spend $134 million in federal stimulus for transportation. The approved plan advances projects from the department’s strategic pipeline of projects that focuses on the state’s most pressing transportation priorities.

“We are wasting no time putting federal dollars from the stimulus package to work for Coloradans to create jobs and reduce traffic. Today, our state’s transportation commission approved a list of shovel-ready transportation projects across the state that are part of our 10-year transportation plan and which will create jobs and other economic benefits across the state including smoother, safer surfaces on major roads like I-76 and US-50, improved connections between Fort Collins and Denver, and better road design in downtown Grand Junction,” said Governor Polis. “We are also allocating a portion of these dollars to local governments and will work with them to ensure that these too are spent quickly in a manner that immediately benefits residents. Washington must continue to build on this down payment as Colorado builds back stronger than before the pandemic.”

“We appreciate the rapid collaboration of our CDOT team, our local partners, and the Transportation Commission over the holidays that allowed us to ring in the new year by putting these new federal stimulus dollars to work,” said Transportation Commission Chair Karen Stuart. “Because of our ten-year transportation plan, CDOT has a great ready-to-go list of projects across the state that allows us to commit new dollars quickly and transparently.”

As part of the $900 billion COVID relief package passed and signed into law late last month, $10 billion in surface transportation stimulus will be available to states. Colorado should see just over $134 million in stimulus funds available through the formula designated in the relief bill. Another $2 billion for airports and airport concessionaires and $15 billion for mass transit was also included; those funds will be allocated to state and local recipients shortly. Additionally, CDOT is receiving $6 million for fixing deteriorating bridges though the federal appropriations package, which were also committed today by the transportation commission.

“The projects we are advancing today make investments across the state that reflect the diversity of our state and CDOT’s ten-year plan,” said CDOT Executive Director Shoshana Lew. “They range from fixing a notoriously bumpy stretch of US 50 from Grand Junction to Delta, to safety improvements along the Eastern Plains, to an innovative transit hub in Berthoud that will help increase mobility options proximate to the I-25 corridor, to repairing broken bridges and sound walls in the Denver area, to accelerating a top priority intersection project for the Pikes Peak region in collaboration with the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments.”

The Commission also approved additional funding for the Revitalizing Main Streets program to help communities adjust their street and pedestrian spaces during COVID and a small investment in new public outreach and GHG modeling capabilities to assist the department’s efforts to modernize its approach to project environmental studies. A full list of the approved projects is available below, and a recording of the Transportation Commission meeting is available here on CDOT’s youtube channel.

Region	Project	Funding	Description
Denver metro	Noise Wall Maintenance	$9.7 million	Replacement of badly damaged noise walls. This will provide safety and quality of life benefits for communities located next to highways. The walls specifically addressed by these funds are nearing 50 years in age and have lost their ability to effectively reduce noise as well as support air quality and other environmental conditions.
Denver metro	Suballocation to DRCOG	$36.2 million	The federal formula specifies that $36.2 million of the funds be spent within the geographic parameters of the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) area. CDOT will suballocate these dollars to DRCOG for expenditure by local governments, and request quick action to maximize stimulus benefits. Per the discussion among transportation commissioners, CDOT will further urge project selection that prioritizes multimodal projects across the Denver region.
SE CO	Powers Blvd and Research Parkway Interchange	$25.5 million (total project cost is $43.6 million)	This project constructs a grade-separated interchange to improve safety and mobility on Powers Blvd (CO 21). Sidewalks and bike lanes will be added to improve multimodal mobility and access to local schools. The Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments is looking to add funds equal to their share of $8.5 million in suballocated funds to support this high-priority project in the area.
NW CO	US 50 Grand Junction to Delta repairs	$15 million	This project will repair notable dips and bumps in the roadway surface that have generated numerous complaints over the years. Along with new asphalt, new guardrails and striping improvements will make this road safer and smoother..
NW CO	I-70B Phase 5	$5.6 million	This project will continue the corridor improvements by reconfiguring the 1st Street and Grand Avenue intersection on I-70B in downtown Grand Junction. Improvements will make the current unconventional 5-legged intersection into a traditional four-way intersection along with making capacity, safety, access and pedestrian improvements.
NE CO	Berthoud Mobility Hub at I-25 and CO 56	$6.5 million	This project will fund design and interim construction costs for a center-loading express Bustang station, supporting bus service between Fort Collins and Denver.
NE CO	I-76 Repaving West of CO 144	$8 million	This project, part of CDOT’s Rural Paving Program, will deliver a smoother and safer driving surface.
NE CO	CO 385 Phillips Repaving	$7.1 million	This project, part of CDOT’s Rural Paving Program, will deliver a smoother and safer driving surface.
NE CO	CO 119 Adaptive Signal System	$2.4 million	This project will upgrade signals along CO119, one in a series of investments planned for this corridor.
NE CO	Bridge Maintenance: CO 52 near Hudson	$250,000	CDOT maintenance crews will add additional steel to increase the structural capacity of the bridge. This repair method avoids structure replacement which will extend the safety and usability of the bridge until it can be replaced.
NE CO	Bridge Maintenance: CO 59 near Haxtun	$300,000	CDOT maintenance crews will add additional steel to increase the structural capacity of the bridge. This repair method avoids structure replacement which will extend the safety and usability of the bridge until it can be replaced.
NE CO	Guardrail end treatment replacement	$1.6 million	Regionwide replacement of substandard end treatments of guardrail sections.
NE CO	CO 7 & 119th St in Lafayette	$2.6	This local agency project will add on-street bike lanes, sidewalk connectivity, and the ability for transit vehicles to move more freely through the intersection.
NE CO	Suballocation to North Front Range Metropolitan Planning Org.	$4 million	The federal formula specifies that $4 million of the funds be spent within the geographic parameters of the North Front Range Metropolitan Planning Organization (NFRMPO) area. CDOT will suballocate these dollars to NFRMPO for expenditure by local governments, and request quick action to maximize stimulus benefits.
SW CO	US 160 McCabe Creek Major Structure Replacement	$7.5 million	This project replaces a failing culvert beneath US 160 in Pagosa Springs that risks a potential washout of the roadway. In addition to adding a new concrete box culvert, bicycle and pedestrian mobility will be expanded.
SW CO	CO 141 Resurfacing North of Naturita	$3.1 million	This project, part of CDOT’s Rural Paving Program, will deliver a smoother and safer driving surface.