Study: Denver & Aurora Roads Among Nation's Roughest
DENVER (CBS4) - A new study confirms what drivers have been thinking all along: yes, the roads really are that bad in Denver and Aurora, and it's expensive.
The national study compiled by a nonprofit transportation research group shows 43 percent of Denver and Aurora roads are considered in poor condition.
The Denver metro area ranks as the 21st worst in the country. The top spot goes to San Francisco and Oakland, of which 74 percent of roads are listed as poor.
The study also shows those rocky roads are costing Denver drivers an additional $737 each year in car maintenance costs. In comparison, San Francisco drivers have to dole out an additional $1,044 annually in repairs because of their bad roads.
The situation isn't expected to get any better. The major source of funding for fixing those roads, the Highway Trust Fund, is about to dry up and Congress cannot agree on how to pay for an extension. Lawmakers have eight days to come up with an agreement or risk the shutdown of construction projects across the country.
One idea is to lower taxes on $2 trillion in corporate profits overseas to entice companies into bringing the money back to the U.S.
Sen. Michael Bennet, a Democrat representing Colorado, says that plan has bipartisan support.
"The money is not doing us any good overseas, seems to me, bringing it back and using it to fix roads and bridges would be a good use of that," said Bennet.
Check out the report to read the full study and see what is suggested to help smooth the drive.
Most transportation funding comes from the gas tax which hasn't been raised in 20 years. It also generates less money as cars become more fuel efficient. That has resulted in a funding gap of $16 billion a year.
Sen. Cory Gardner, a Republican representing Colorado, says those are all temporary fixes.
"Since 2009 there have been 33 short-term extensions of the highway program. You can't plan a major highway expansion or road construction in six week to six month increments," said Gardner.
Colorado relies on the federal government for nearly half its transportation funding. With 50 percent growth over the last 20 years, the Colorado Department of Transportation says it needs another $800 million a year just to maintain the roads we have.
"I'm not saying cut projects as of yet or stop projects but we have to look very carefully at how the system is managed and what we can do and how we can move forward," said CDOT spokeswoman Amy Ford. "What this does is it really paints a bigger picture of the challenge that we have with transportation funding in keeping up with the incredible growth that we've had here in Colorado and the needs that we have on our system."
The House of Representatives passed a five month extension to work on a long-term bill that includes the corporate tax reform idea.
The Senate has its own bill that cobbles together $47 billion over three years from a variety of sources, including selling oil from the strategic petroleum reserve that would be added to the $34 billion in gas taxes.
The Senate Majority Leader is threatening to keep lawmakers over the weekend to find compromise.
