FAQ

Federal and state requirements require that CDOT develop a statewide transportation plan, which provides a vision for the future of transportation priorities and investments. This year, CDOT is taking a different approach to our usual plan development.

It will include a 10-year time horizon, which provides a more near-term picture of transportation needs than the usual 20 or 25 year time period covered by a transportation plan.

The Statewide Transportation Improvement Program, or STIP, is CDOT’s short-term project implementation list, based on available funding, that describes what projects are funded and will be built over the next four years. It is updated on a regular basis in consultation with our transportation planning regions and local officials. The strategic 10-year pipeline of projects will provide greater clarity on which projects will be added to the STIP in the future. Projects being considered for the strategic 10-year pipeline of projects will be informed by both a data-driven needs assessment and public and stakeholder input that will help develop a more sustainable, efficient, and equitable transportation system.

At CDOT, we are thinking about how we pay for transportation now and in the future. Instead of starting with the question of how we pay for transportation projects, we start with the question of what should we be paying for and why? Admittedly, CDOT does not have the funds to pay for all of the projects that will be identified. CDOT’s primary funding source (22 cents per gallon on gasoline) has not increased in over 25-years and does not fluctuate with the price of gas. We have to make strategic choices.

Coloradans deserve a thoughtful strategy to confront transportation challenges, and our legislature has just given us an opportunity to develop one. Wisely, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle led by Democratic Sen. Rachel Zenzinger and Republican Sen. Bob Rankin championed the delay of a $2.3 billion transportation ballot measure that had been required by statute, and that would have been similar to ones rejected by voters in last year’s election. This step accepts the feedback of voters from last year’s ballot measures and allows us to think broadly and boldly about how to try something new.

CDOT works with its transportation planning partners in the metro areas to ensure their transportation planning efforts are reflected in ‘Your Transportation Plan.’ There are five Metropolitan Planning Organizations that develop their own Long-Range Transportation Plan or Regional Transportation Plan. These include:

• Denver Regional Council of Governments
• Grand Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization
• North Front Range Metropolitan Planning Organization
• Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments
• Pueblo Area Council of Governments

CDOT will share input and incorporate the results of these organizations plans into the statewide transportation plan.

CDOT, together with its planning partners, stakeholders and YOU – the traveling public – will develop the statewide transportation plan. CDOT is dedicated to hearing from Coloradans to ensure peoples’ voices from across the state are heard and become a part of the plan development process. Working closely with CDOT’s planning partners, meetings with each of Colorado’s 64 counties are currently underway to better understand current and future needs and identify projects that collectively will address strategic priorities across the state. A series of meetings/workshops will be held in each of the 10 transportation planning regions to collaboratively develop the regional transportation plan that will provide input into the statewide plan. Your voice matters, this is ‘Your Transportation Plan.’

CDOT has implemented a Whole System — Whole Safety approach that has one simple mission – to get everyone home safely. Our goal is to improve the safety of Colorado’s transportation network by reducing the rate and severity of crashes and improving safety conditions for those traveling by all modes. CDOT's Whole System Whole Safety initiative heightens safety awareness by taking a systematic statewide approach to safety—combining the benefits of our programs that address driving behaviors, our built environment, and our operations. You can learn more at: codot.gov/safety

CDOT:

• Maintains, repairs, and plows over 23,000 miles of highway
• Maintains 3,447 bridges
• Plows about 6 million miles each year
• Spends $69 million annually on snow removal
• Keeps over 35 mountains passes open year-round
• Monitors 278 avalanche paths

CDOT has an Asset Management Program to identify what parts of our transportation system need maintenance, preservation, repair, rehabilitation, or replacement and when. CDOT's Asset Management Program develops and implements risk-based strategies to ensure the department's limited funding is applied to the right project, for the right asset, at the right time. You can learn more at www.codot.gov/programs/tam Link">www.codot.gov/programs/tam

There are places you want to go or need to be. It’s CDOT’s job to give you options to get there – from taking the bus or train, to cycling and walking. All transportation modes are part of ‘Your Transportation Plan.’ The Plan will include inventorying existing transit and human service providers and identifying local and regional projects and priorities in every region across the state. It will also look at transit at the statewide level – think intercity services like Bustang, Outrider, and passenger rail. Bicycle and pedestrian improvements will be integrated into projects to provide first and final mile access to transit and to encourage safe walking and biking as a transportation option.

We need your feedback to develop ‘Your Transportation Plan’ that ensures we create the connections, choice, and a Colorado for all. We’re seeking to bring different perspectives and values to the transportation conversation. You can use this website to continue to provide regular input, take the surveys, and mark your transportation issues on the map. You can also attend one of our upcoming meetings; a list is located here.

Your feedback will inform a new data-driven needs assessment based on social, economic, environmental and other factors to identify and prioritize future construction projects. With your engagement, we can create ‘Your Transportation Plan,’ ensuring Colorado has the connections and choice that help our state thrive.

This website will provide ongoing information on the development of Your Transportation Plan

• Your Transportation Plan video
• The “We’re Coming to You” page provides information on upcoming meetings
• The “What You Told Us Last Time” page provides a brief description of the prior plan and process
• And you can provide your ongoing feedback on the “Share Your Thoughts With Us” page 

If you have a specific question about Your Transportation Plan, please contact:

Marissa Gaughan
_Statewide and Regional Planning Manager
_2829 W. Howard Pl., Denver, CO 80204
marissa.gaughan@state.co.us