CDOT Launches Website for Colorado Bridge Enterprise Projects

October 4, 2011 - Statewide Transportation Plan - STATEWIDE— Today, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) officially launched a new website that will track the status of Colorado’s poor bridges as they are being planned, designed and constructed through the Colorado Bridge Enterprise (CBE).

“A small portion of your vehicle registration fees are dedicated to repairing and replacing poor bridges in Colorado,” said CDOT Executive Director Don Hunt.  “One of our goals is to clearly demonstrate how taxpayer dollars are being spent and what bridges are being replaced. This website will allow us to accomplish this goal and allow citizens to follow our progress.”

The website, http://www.coloradodot.info/programs/BridgeEnterprise, consists of current program statistics that are updated on a monthly basis as well as an interactive map that shows the status of all poor bridges, currently 119. The number of bridges may change from month to month as some bridges are repaired and others decline.

The interactive map can be sorted by CDOT region, county or project status to allow the user to quickly find projects.  Information about the CBE’s bond program and business opportunities for consultants and constructors is also available along with frequently asked question.

The CBE was formed in 2009 as part of the FASTER (Funding Advancement for Surface Transportation and Economic Recovery) legislation. It operates as a government-owned business within the Colorado Department of Transportation.

The purpose of the CBE is to finance, repair, reconstruct and replace bridges designated as structurally deficient or functionally obsolete, and rated “poor.”  In order to accomplish this goal, a bridge safety surcharge ranging from $13 to $32 has been imposed on vehicle registration based upon vehicle weight. Revenues from the bridge safety surcharge fee are phased in over a three-year period, and are estimated to generate approximately $100 million in annual funding.

In December 2010, the CBE issued $300 million in federally subsidized Build America Bonds. With the FASTER dollars and bonds, the CBE estimates that it will repair or replace 40-50 bridges by the end of 2013.  Without bonding, work would have progressed more slowly as it would be limited to the funding available from the yearly collection of bridge safety registration fees.  This pay-as-you-go approach could take two to three times longer.

Information about current and upcoming bridge projects will be updated on a regular basis and can be found on the CBE website.