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State’s spending assailedGroup: Colo. should spend more on public transportationPeter Marcus, DDN Staff WriterTuesday, June 30, 2009 | |
Colorado is not spending enough of its economic stimulus dollars on public transportation, according to a report released yesterday by the Colorado Public Interest Research Group.
While the Colorado Department of Transportation and Gov. Bill Ritter scored high marks for prioritizing two-thirds of its stimulus dollars on road and bridge repair, the report states that Colorado could be doing a better job maximizing job creation by investing in more public transportation projects.
The state will spend nearly 20 percent of its more than $400 million in transportation funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act on building new roads and highways, states the CoPIRG report.
“We can’t afford the highways we already have, how can we maintain these new ones?” asked Danny Katz, director of CoPIRG, a statewide public interest group.
The report released yesterday states that public transportation investment creates 31 percent more jobs, and road and bridge repair generates 16 percent more jobs than new road and bridge construction.
If the state were to invest in more repair projects, as opposed to new construction, it would produce an average of 181 more jobs; if it were to invest in more public transportation projects, the state would create an average of 433 more jobs, states the report.
But state officials say the report does not take into account the fact that an additional $103 million has been set aside solely for transit projects. While the state will receive about $400 million for transportation projects, another $103 million is set aside for transit projects.
“There is a fundamental problem with the report because it does not take into account the fact that the Recovery Act allocates separate funds just for transit projects,” said Myung Oak Kim, spokeswoman for the Governor’s Economic Recovery Team.
West Corridor
She points to the West Corridor of the voter-approved FasTracks transit expansion project, which is getting $40 million. An additional $10 million is allocated for a new bus maintenance facility in Summit County.
In fact, the CoPIRG report itself acknowledges that Colorado ranks sixth in the nation for the percent of federal surface transportation stimulus dollars used on public transportation and non-motorized projects, Kim pointed out.
Stacey Stegman, spokeswoman for CDOT, believes the department has done a good job so far balancing its transportation expenditures related to stimulus dollars.
“You have to balance highways with transit, just as with other forms as well,” she said. “So, I think the distribution of funds was appropriate, and in fact, we only wished that we got more to be able to spend on all of these different modes.”
Biden praises state
Colorado last week was recognized by Vice President Joe Biden and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood for its quick action in committing 50 percent of its highway funds by yesterday, as required by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The state achieved the milestone on May 7, far ahead of many other states.
As a result of CDOT’s fast action — which has already committed about 75 percent of its stimulus dollars — work has begun or will soon start on 12 projects, which quickly creates jobs, the greatest purpose of the Recovery Act, said Stegman.
LaHood will be in Jefferson County today to celebrate the groundbreaking of a $22.3 million Recovery Act project that will rehabilitate C-470 from U.S. Highway 85 to Interstate 25. The project will also rebuild a 26-mile portion of the C-470 bike path.
“The biggest goal is to get the money out the door and create jobs,” said Stegman. “There’s always a slight delay, because it takes some time to advertise a project and get it under contract, but (job creation) is what we’re seeing now … It’s been a very fast process.”
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