CDOT Releases US 36 Concession Agreement
The document contains the contract provisions, standards of service and other agreements to which each agency will be held. It also includes 27 schedules which describe agreements ranging from maintenance to construction requirements. Four of the schedules are summarized at the request of Plenary Roads Denver due to the proprietary information.
The US 36 project has been the result of an extensive public process over the last decade. The project began in 2003 with an Environmental Impact Statement process that included intense and lengthy participation from local governments and incorporated hundreds of public comments from numerous public meetings. The US 36 Express Lanes Project – a new express lane for Bus Rapid Transit, carpool vehicles and tolled vehicles, as well as the reconstruction of existing general purpose lanes (which continue to be free to all users) and the rebuilding of many aging bridges and a bikeway – is the result of that process.
Phase I of the US 36 project is currently under construction and will be opened by spring 2015. Phase II of the project will be executed through a public private partnership. Plenary Roads Denver was chosen last April as the concessionaire for the project after a two-phase competitive big process, which also included consultation with local governments and covered by the media. CDOT is entering into this agreement to build much-needed improvements on a highway opened in 195 two decades sooner than the agency could otherwise afford.
As the first public private partnership for the state of Colorado, the arrangement will accelerate construction through the investment of the private sector while transferring the risk of construction and maintenance costs, as well as toll revenues to the concessionaire. CDOT has agreed with the concern surrounding transparency and looks forward to working with the legislature on a bill improving this process.
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