Date: 01/26/2012
Final
Dept of Transportation SMART Act Briefing
COMMITTEE ON JOINT TRANSPORTATION
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10:32 AM -- Department of Transportation SMART Act Briefing
Executive Director Don Hunt, Commissioner Gary Reiff, Mr. Ben Stein, and Mr. Tim Harris, all representing the CDOT, came to the table.
10:34 AM
Commissioner Reiff gave a brief overview of the duties of the Transportation Commission.
10:37 AM
Mr. Ben Stein, the Chief Financial Office for the CDOT, discussed requirements under the SMART Act and described the power point presentation handout (Attachment B). Mr. Stein spoke about the department's strategic plan and commented that the department had one in place prior to the implementation of the SMART Act. Mr. Stein discussed CDOT's strategic plan development process and commented on Attachment B.
10:40 AM
Mr. Harris discussed Attachment B and the department's top performance measures. Mr. Harris continued to discuss Attachment B and the CDOT performance for pavement/bridge and bridge enterprise. Mr. Harris further discussed the trend in highway fatalities from 2001-2010.
10:44 AM
Executive Director Hunt spoke about the CDOT strategies for improving performance in the next 18 months (page 13 of Attachment B). He discussed improvements in contracting and grants and access permits.
10:49 AM
Mr. Stein spoke about oversight and funding sources for the CDOT. Mr. Stein discussed the use of transportation funding for CDOT and commented on actual and projected funding through 2017 for the department.
10:55 AM
Executive Director Hunt spoke about CDOT's challenges, including the I-70 viaduct and the I-70 Mountain Corridor. He continued to discuss Attachment B, specifically the High Performance Transportation Enterprise (HPTE) and the Division of Transit and Rail. He spoke about the importance of the CDOT Mountain Radar Program. Executive Director Hunt summarized the CDOT legislative agenda, including Business Relocation Reimbursement, LOGOS (the department's commercial signage program), and certificates of participation financing. He thanked the members and emphasized the department's innovative approach to the state's transportation infrastructure.
11:03 AM
Representative Vaad thanked the panel for their presentation. Representative Vaad commented on the SMART Act and asked where the department could start prioritizing, in regards to the department's mission and vision pursuant to policy directive 13. Commissioner Reiff commented that the Transportation Commission has discussed this issue. Commissioner Reiff commented on the strategic planning process and the commission's intent to look at prioritizing the needs of the state.
11:08 AM
Representative Fischer asked for information on the number of jobs that are created for every $1 million spent to upgrade bridges and roads. Executive Director Hunt responded.
11:10 AM
Representative Vaad asked about annual inventories of road segments. Mr. Harris commented on a scoring system that the CDOT uses when assessing the condition of roads.
11:12 AM
Representative Tyler asked about procurement and the bidding process within the CDOT. Executive Director Hunt briefly discussed the lien process.
11:16 AM
Senator Schwartz asked about broadband access, particularly in rural areas, and how the department is working to prioritize access for those areas that are noncompetitive and under-served. Mr. Harris spoke about current ways that CDOT is working to improve broadband access. Discussion continued concerning broadband access.
11:20 AM
Representative Brown asked for information on the current condition of Colorado roads. Mr. Harris indicated that 48 percent of Colorado roads are in good or fair condition. Representative Brown asked how Colorado compares to other states in terms of gasoline taxes. Director Hunt responded that some states have a gas tax and that Colorado is ranked 37th in the country for gasoline tax.
11:23 AM
Representative Jones commented on striping.
11:25 AM
Representative Hamner thanked the panel for its attention to Interstate 70 and commented on the department's priorities.
11:27 AM
Senator Williams thanked the department and commented on striping. Discussion ensued concerning access to federal money.
11:34 AM
Representative Brown asked for information concerning commuter roads. Executive Director Hunt commented on local government budgets.
11:36 AM
Representative Vaad asked the panel to provide the committee members with Policy Directives 13 and 14. He also requested that the SMART Act liaisons attend the discussion by CDOT concerning the policy directives. Commissioner Reiff commented that the liaisons will be included in such discussions.
11:37 AM
Representative Brown asked how much money is spent by CDOT on bike paths and foot paths. Director Hunt said that there are some federal programs, particularly enhancement programs, in which money is intended to be spent to make trails and footpaths look appealing. Mr. Harris confirmed that the state money is spent on a more functional purpose, while federal programs and local governments have the ability to spend money to enhance the look of the project. Mr. Stein commented on the enhancement budget.
11:41 AM
Representative Tyler asked how other states compare to Colorado on the quality of roads. Mr. Harris commented that different states use different rating criteria for roads. Representative Vaad commented on the road rating process.
11:43 AM
Representative Vaad commented on the strategic plan process pursuant to the SMART Act. Executive Director Hunt reflected on CDOT's long-term planning.
11:54 AM
The following people testified:
11:54 AM -- Ken Katt, representing himself, came to the table. Mr. Katt distributed handouts to the committee (Attachments C and D). Mr. Katt spoke about his experience with the I-70 mountain corridor and the need to make improvements. Mr. Katt responded to questions from the committee.
12:07 PM -- Mr. Jeffrey Buxton, representing Green Mountain Ski Bus, Inc., came to the table. Mr. Buxton spoke about his bus business.
12:13 PM -- Mr. Katt came back to the table to comment on the I-70 mountain corridor.
12:15 PM
The committee adjourned.