First Regular Session

Sixty-second General Assembly

LLS NO. R99­0868.01 Gregg Fraser

BY REPRESENTATIVES Scott, Johnson, Kaufman, Mace, Miller, Mitchell, Paschall, Ragsdale, Swenson, Tochtrop, Tupa, Zimmerman; also Senator Evans

TRANSPORTATION AND ENERGY

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 99-1029

CONCERNING AN INTERIM STUDY OF OVERLAPPING OR CONFLICTING TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS.

WHEREAS, The construction and maintenance of necessary transportation infrastructure is critical to preserve the quality of life of the citizens of the state and to maintain economic growth and stability in the state; and

WHEREAS, The people of Colorado rely on a variety of modes of transportation, including motor vehicles, busses, trains, and light rail, to move throughout the state; and

WHEREAS, The planning for infrastructure relied upon to transport people throughout the state is provided by a variety of governmental entities, including the state, counties, cities, the regional transportation district, the Denver regional council of governments, and other special districts; and

WHEREAS, Providing an efficient and adequate transportation system in the present and the future involves an ongoing, thorough, and

careful planning process; and

WHEREAS, Various governmental entities responsible for providing transportation infrastructure in the state are in the process of conducting major investment, feasibility, and other studies for a number of transportation corridors involving a variety of modes of transportation; and

WHEREAS, The efforts of the different entities to plan for the future transportation needs of the state are frequently duplicative or incompatible with each other; and

WHEREAS, Many of the currently proposed projects rely upon duplicative or conflicting modes of transportation, such as rail and high­occupancy vehicle lanes in the same corridor; and

WHEREAS, A number of proposed projects compete for popular and financial support; and

WHEREAS, The planned modes of transportation in one portion of the Denver metropolitan area are not compatible with the modes planned for other areas; and

WHEREAS, Different projects are not designed to intersect at common points to make a uniform system of transportation that is convenient and efficient for users; and

WHEREAS, Information on the cost, ridership, and environmental impact of projects has been misstated in many cases for political reasons, leaving a number of inefficient, impractical, or prohibitively expensive projects still open for consideration; and

WHEREAS, Coordinated planning for the transportation needs of this state is essential to ensure that efficient, adequate, and economical modes of transportation will be available to serve the people of the state of Colorado in the future; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the Sixty­second General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the Senate concurring herein:

(1)  That there shall be a committee to meet in the interim after the First Regular Session of the Sixty­second General Assembly to study overlapping and conflicting public transportation projects and the coordination of public transportation planning. Such interim committee shall consist of six members of the General Assembly. Three of such members shall be from the House of Representatives, appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and three of such members shall be from the Senate, appointed by the President of the Senate. The committee shall perform the following duties:

(a)  Review the existing studies and transportation planning efforts of the state, local governments, special districts, and other entities responsible for planning for the construction of future transportation infrastructure;

(b)  Identify overlapping and potentially conflicting plans, transit corridors, and modes of transportation within the state;

(c)  Review and discuss the fiscal and other impacts of such overlapping and conflicting plans, transportation corridors, and modes of transportation;

(d)  Review and recommend methods for resolving any overlapping or conflicting transportation plans; and

(e)  Review and recommend methods for coordinating the planning for future transportation infrastructure between the various entities responsible for planning, constructing, and maintaining such infrastructure.

(2)  That, in conducting such study, the interim committee shall consult with the Colorado department of transportation, counties, municipalities, the city and county of Denver, special districts, and other appropriate state and local agencies and interested members of the public as deemed necessary for purposes of the study. The study shall not require additional staff for any state agency or any additional appropriation to any such state agency.

(3)  That the Legislative Council shall report the findings and recommendations of the interim committee to the Second Regular Session of the Sixty­second General Assembly.

(4)  That all expenditures incurred in the conduct of the study enumerated in this Resolution shall be approved by the chairperson of the Legislative Council and paid by vouchers and warrants drawn as provided by law from funds allocated to the Legislative Council from appropriations made by the General Assembly.