2018-12-12_REVISION - M2018016 (7)

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' The costs of repairing additional damage wo uld Intensify the current financial ' struggles of the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT). One truck traveling back and forth from the DMRM would travel about 82 miles round trip and use approximately 12.6 gallons of diesel, as compared to the average car consuming around 3.5 gallons of gas for the same trip. In view of price differentials between diesel and gasoline, and current federal and state taxes on both products, the ratio of truck revenue to automobile revenue would be a little over four to one. In sum, ' while gravel dump trucks pay more in highway taxes per mile than passenger vehicles, the differential in tax receipts does not make up for the differential in wear and tear on the highway. ' As troubling, road taxes do not fund the majority of CDOT expenditures. In 2017, Federal gas taxes accounted for 42 percent of CDOT revenues and state gas taxes for 20.7 percent of a total budget of$1.55 billion. General revenues financed 5.1 percent of CDOT expenditures. Thus additional pressure for road maintenance and rehabilitation is unlikely to cover the costs of additional traffic on the road. ' In part due to constant federal and state fuel tax rates, Colorado highways have been under financial pressure for many years. CDOT finances have been further exacerbated by improvements in fuel efficiency without concomitant reductions in highway wear and tear. According to an independent report, 40 percent of major urban roads and highways in Colorado are in poor or mediocre condition due to inadequate state and local funding.74 ' Congested and deteriorating roads are costing Colorado drivers $7.1 billion annually in lost time and productivity, needed repairs and crash-related expenses.75 CDOT officials estimate the state has a $9 billion backlog in transportation needs. If maintenance continues to be postponed, conditions will deteriorate further along the I-70 corridor, leading to higher, unreimbursed vehicle operating-costs for all travellers. Driving on rough roads already costs every Colorado driver $468 annually in additional vehicle operating costs. These are uncompensated expenditures as a result of the externalities of operating a gravel pit on a route already subject to congestion. According to a 2018 study,highway maintenance in Colorado per state-controlled- mile was $36,695, slightly more than the expected annual estimated $34,550 ' payment to Clear Creek by DMRM in property taxes.76 Colorado's costs came in 33rd out of the 50 states measured in the study, considerably higher than the average cost of$28,020 per mile. The DMRM would increase CDOT costs for maintenance ' even more. ' 74http://www.tripnet.org/docs/CO-Transportation-by-the Numbers_TRIP Report 2018.pdf 75http://www.tripnet.org/docs/CO_Transportation_by_the_Numbers_TRIP Report 2018.pdf 76 https:/Ireason.org/policy-study/23rd-annual-highway-report/maintenance- disbursements-per-mile/ 25