Bill Summary for Bill Number Briefing from the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT)

Date: 09/24/2015

Final
Briefing from the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT)

TRANSPORTATION LEGISLATION REVIEW COMMITTEE

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05:45 PM -- Briefing from the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT)

Michael Lewis, Deputy Director, CDOT, addressed the committee and discussed the various infrastructure projects the committee had visited during the day. He spoke to how the safety of transportation projects can affect the citizens of Colorado, how a culture of collaboration can positively impact the various levels of government, and said that things are more efficient when agencies and local governments works together.

Kerrie Neet, Region 5 Transportation Director, CDOT, presented to the committee, discussing the 6,500 square miles of southwest Colorado and the various counties that make up Region 5. Ms. Neet discussed the importance of the Durango-La Plata airport to the region’s economy. She detailed how public lands make up about 65 percent of the region, and how partnerships between communities and local governments are important for projects such as the U.S. 160-550 interchange. Ms. Neet also spoke to Durango’s continuous flow intersection (CFI) that had recently been completed, which cost roughly $6 million, versus an anticipated $60-80 million for a new interchange, and how the decision to use the CFI design reduced numerous impacts to the surrounding community.