Making progress on the road ahead

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Almost every day, we travel on our roads and bridges, hop on our transit system to go to and from work and rely on our railways to transport goods across the country. The quality of our infrastructure and the ability to move people and products directly affects our economy. And a deteriorating infrastructure puts our safety and the safety of our families at risk.

Despite these facts, we have not had the decency to maintain the infrastructure that our grandparents built for us.

In 2010, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave Colorado a C+ for infrastructure, with our roads and bridges receiving a D and C-, respectively. Any Coloradan heading to Fort Collins from Denver on a Friday afternoon or idling in traffic on I-70 on a Sunday evening can readily attest to these deficiencies.

Fortunately, after years of kicking the can down the road, Congress has finally managed to pass a long-term highway bill, known as the FAST Act. After dozens of frustrating short-term extensions the president signed into law a bill that gives Colorado and local communities the resources and certainty to rebuild and repair roads and bridges, invest in transit systems and streamline railway projects.

In total, Colorado is expected to receive $3.4 billion in funding over the next five years to invest in transportation projects. The five-year bill increases highway funding in Colorado by more than $75 million in total, allowing CDOT to complete ongoing transportation projects and begin work on pressing new projects to meet the demands of our growing economy.

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