On his Infrastructure Colorado: Planes, Trains, Automobiles, and More tour, Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet today visited the Twin Tunnels construction site on Interstate-70, where the Colorado Department of Transportation is working to widen the tunnel to reduce congestion along the highway.
Bennet is using the tour to highlight Colorado infrastructure projects and call attention to the critical consequences of Congressional failure to develop a long-term solution to our infrastructure needs, threatening our economy, competiveness, and safety.
“Interstate-70 is a vital thoroughfare for Colorado’s economy and safety,” Bennet said. “Not only does it provide access to our world-class ski resorts, but it also allows for billions of dollars of commercial goods to be transported in and out of our state. This is an important project to help reduce congestion along the highway and also to ensure this road is open and safe in any sort of emergency situation. It is a perfect example of the maintenance and improvements we need to make to our infrastructure to stay competitive in the 21st century economy.”
Last week, Congress passed another short-term fix – this time for the Highway Trust Fund – which jeopardizes vital, large-scale infrastructure projects and leaves state and federal transportation departments unable to plan for the long-term. Projects like the Twin Tunnels expansion that employs over 100 Coloradans could be put on hold without a long-term solution to maintain the solvency of the Highway Trust Fund.
Despite Colorado’s successes, there is still work to do. Seventy percent of the state’s roads are rated poor or mediocre according to the American Society of Civil Engineers’ 2013 Infrastructure Report Card. Without a predicable federal highway plan, maintenance and upgrades of these roads will be jeopardized.
Bennet has fought to strengthen the nation’s infrastructure. Earlier this year, he sponsored the Partnership to Build America Act, with Republican Senator Roy Blunt from Missouri. The Bennet-Blunt proposal establishes a $50 billion infrastructure fund that can potentially support hundreds of billions in loan guarantees and financing authority for state and local governments. While not a replacement for keeping the Highway Trust Fund solvent, the fund created by the bill would help finance transportation, energy, communications, water, and education infrastructure projects.