Today's winter weather in the Denver metro area reminded drivers of the hazards of the winter roadways. Unfortunately, thanks to Governor Bill Ritter and CDOT, winter driving will become even more dangerous this year. The Post reports:
Until winter 2007-08, CDOT's target was to maintain wet, bare pavement throughout snowstorms on interstates and other major Colorado roads in the national highway system, such as U.S. 36. Officials call it "level of service B."
Last winter, the 2007-08 season, CDOT let its targeted level of service slip a bit, to one that could tolerate more patches of snow and slush on major highways during storms, a B-minus level of service.
This winter, in part to account for the rising cost of deicing chemicals, CDOT's winter plowing standard will slip still further, to a C-plus service level — one that might leave even more wintry residue on roadways.
Commissioners agreed Wednesday to reverse this trend of less stringently deicing and plowing roadways when they moved another $10 million into CDOT's snow and ice budget for 2009-10.
Without the additional money, the 2009-10 snow-removal target would drop to a more hazardous service level C, officials said.
It is interesting that the first item Governor Bill Ritter cuts from his budget is transportation. $429 million less than last year will be in the State's transportation budget this year. Yet, Bill Ritter added 1,300 state workers to the rolls this year. Assuming $40,000 per year salaries, this removes $52 million that Ritter could allocate for CDOT road clearing.
Ritter's failed Amendment 58 (the severance tax energy removal) would have added funds to the state. Had it passed, the amendment included funding for transportation in the severance tax affected counties. However, the amendment requires the state to split 60% of the revenues to the Colorado Promise Scholarship Fund, 15% for local impact of the oil and gas industry on transportation and water quality, 15% for wildlife habitat, and 10% to clean energy projects. None of this would help the present CDOT snow-removal problems.
Even though the 2009-10 budget will slightly increase transportation funding, it is still the lowest priority at the state capitol building. Since "green" energy projects, not transportation, are Governor Ritter's highest priority, transportation funding will remain on the back burner. Of course, the governor can form more blue ribbon commissions to find all sorts of ways to recommend increased taxes and fees instead of better allocating the tax revenues that Colorado government already receives.
by Civil Sense
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