The beefed-up late fees that came with last year’s FASTER bill made a lot of procrastinating motorists angry but they have also had a much quieter and positive effect. More and more people are registering their vehicles on time rather than letting their expired registrations lag.
Lawmakers in the Colorado House passed some exceptions Tuesday to the controversial late fees in last year’s FASTER bill. The changes would allow clerks a bit more discretion in waiving the fees, exempt commercial trailer owners if they can document they had idled that part of their fleet, and put a $10 maximum late fee on non-motorized vehicles 2,000 pounds or less.
The Colorado Department of Transportation has put 40 highway and airport projects totaling $136.8 million on its wish list for federal grants in 2011.
State Bill Colorado reports that the sponsor of the FASTER bill said a lawmaker’s proposal to fund a streetcar line along Colfax Avenue using dollars from the statewide hike in vehicle-registration fees might not be proper.
Rep. Joe Rice, D-Littleton, who sponsored FASTER and shepherded it through heated, partisan debate last spring, says he would be OK with Sen. Chris Romer’s idea as long as the state’s revenue share isn’t touched and the streetcar project conforms to local government’s permissible use of the money–which he doubts.
“Were going to stay true to what we passed last year and I don’t think this falls under either category,” said Rice.
A streetcar line on Colfax Avenue between downtown Denver and Aurora’s Fitzsimons medical campus may or may not prove to be a good idea. That answer depends on studies yet to be completed. But no study is needed to know that it’s not a good idea to divert money from fixing roads and unsafe bridges to help pay for it.
The Denver Post reports that Sen. Chris Romer, D-Denver, plans to introduce a bill that would spend a portion of last year’s increased vehicle registration fees to a special district that would coordinate financing, construction and operation of a streetcar line on Colfax Avenue in Denver and Aurora.
The state began collecting higher registration fees after last year’s legislature passed the FASTER transportation measure to pay for highway, bridge and transit improvements.
CDOT Press Release
LARIMER COUNTY – The first full closure of US 34 just east of Estes Park will now take place Wednesday, February 3rd through Sunday, February 14th, weather permitting. The closure is necessary to allow the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) to replace the first of two bridges on US 34 in the Big Thompson Canyon. Both structures are steel truss bridges that were constructed in 1937 and are in poor condition.
“Due to the snow we received last night, the contractor is unable to complete the preparatory work by Monday as it requires single-lane alternating traffic and the icy conditions create an unsafe situation for motorists and the flaggers,” said CDOT Resident Engineer Scott Ellis. “As a result, the closure will be postponed two days so that the contractor can complete the preparatory work at the bridge under safe conditions.”
During the closure, US 34 will be completely closed at milepost 65.4 and motorists will be detoured through Lyons along US 287, State Highway 66 and US 36. The closure will be in place 24 hours a day starting at 12:01 a.m. on February 3rd and continuing through February 14th while crews demolish the existing bridge and construct the new bridge. The detour route will add approximately 15 miles (20 minutes) onto a trip from Estes Park to Loveland.
A second closure of US 34 at milepost 66.3 will be required in March to demolish and replace the second structure. This closure is tentatively scheduled for March 1st through March 12th, but is subject to change due to weather or construction activities. The same detour route will be utilized during the second closure of US 34.
“We understand that the full closures are a huge inconvenience, but the only way to replace these aging structures is to completely close the highway,” added Ellis. “We have a fast track method of construction in place that will allow us to complete the majority of work in 12 days so we can reopen US 34 to traffic.”
Following both closures, crews will have some minor work to complete. Between the middle of March and the middle of May, crews will install the remaining drainage structures that are outside of the roadway and pave the roadway in asphalt. The paving cannot take place until warmer temperatures return. Other minor work includes staining the concrete on the new bridges and installing the guardrail. During the last two months of construction, motorists can expect single-lane alternating traffic during daytime hours, Monday through Friday.
For more information about the project, visit http://www.coloradodot.info/projects/us-34-truss-bridges or call 970-685-0229. For frequently asked questions, visit the project Web site.
SEMA Construction, Inc. is the contractor for this $3.8 million project scheduled to be complete by Memorial Day 2010.
The Estes Park Trail-Gazette reports that locals may end up using Devil’s Gulch Road through Glen Haven as a detour between Estes Park and Loveland instead of the recommended detour during the upcoming U.S. 34 closures for bridge replacement projects, but maintenance crews won’t be putting any extra effort into clearing it.
The alternate route, which meets U.S. 34 in the canyon at Drake, bypasses the construction zones but is a two-lane road with steep sections including sharp curves
Transportation officials are urging motorists to use US 36 between Estes Park and Lyons as the alternative route to the valley during the closures.
The first of two 12-day road closures on US 34 just east of Estes Park will begin on Monday as the Colorado Department of Transportation`s project to replace a pair of aging steel truss bridges over the Big Thompson River kicks into high gear.
Go to the Estes Park Trail-Gazette to see the entire article.
The Colorado Springs Gazette reports that petition circulators who gathered thousands of signatures on anti-tax initiatives last summer, including Proposition 101, lived in a house owned by TABOR author and tax-cutting activist Douglas Bruce.
Opponents of the three initiatives allege Bruce is trying to keep a low profile because he’s a polarizing figure who might damage efforts to get the proposals passed.
The three measures — Amendment 60, Amendment 61 and Proposition 101 — would roll back property taxes, lower the state income tax rate, prohibit state government from borrowing money and abolish most fees and taxes related to motor vehicles and telecommunication devices and customer accounts.
Prop 101 would effectively repeal last year’s FASTER bill that raised auto registration fees to help fix crumbling roads and bridges, and further reduce already existing license fees that pay for highway maintenance to a flat $10 a year. License fees are the second-largest local source of city, county and state road funds, after the gas tax.
Go to the Colorado Springs Gazette to see the entire article.
Crumbling concrete bridge rail typifies conditions on Colorado’s poor-rated bridges.
The Colorado Department of Transportation is considering issuing bonds to speed up the replacement and repair of poor-rated bridges under the FASTER program.
A bond program could enable CDOT’s new Bridge Enterprise – set up to take over ownership, repair, replacement and maintenance of poor-rated bridges – to take on more of the 124 structures on the list that a pay-as-you-go schedule. While bond interest adds to the total cost down the line, financing is often able to beat the higher prices that inflation can bring while waiting until cash is in hand for the work.
In the meantime, accelerating the work puts more people to work in the near-term.
RSS