State transportation staff: 10‑year plan will go to commission in May with targets on safety, pavement and bridges

Colorado Department of Transportation staff presented the department’s draft 10‑year plan to STACK on April 2, and said they will ask the Transportation Commission to take action at its May meeting.

The presentation outlined three commission goals that frame the plan: fix roads, advance transportation safety and sustainably increase choice. Darius, the department presenter, said the plan pairs those goals with measurable targets including a 50% reduction in traffic fatalities and serious injuries among vulnerable road users over the next 10 years and a goal to hold interstate pavement at or below 1% poor. “We believe that the commission is going to take action on the 10‑year plan in May,” Darius said.

Why it matters: the plan concentrates funding on asset management and safety countermeasures to slow deterioration and reduce crashes. Staff said about 53% of projects in the draft plan include pavement asset‑management elements; about 29% of plan projects include bridge work, which staff estimated at roughly $637 million across the plan period (about $370 million in the near four years and roughly $250 million in later years). The presentation also tied specific safety investments (shoulders, passing lanes, intersection and wildlife crash projects) to modeled crash reductions of 20–40% on treated corridors.

Staff emphasized process and timing. The department intends to ask STACK for a recommendation to the Transportation Commission; the Commission is slated to consider adoption in May. A single project — Elmore’s Corner East — was called out for expedited preapproval because it already has a federal INFRA (grant) award and design‑build schedule that requires funds to be allocated before the full plan is adopted.

What they discussed and next steps: members asked for clarity on funding and the relationship between regional priorities and state funds; staff reiterated that the 10‑year plan is one element of a larger set of asset‑management and enterprise programs. The plan’s dashboard and quarterly reporting will track the performance indicators after adoption. The department will return to STACK with a recommendation and the Transportation Commission will consider formal action in May.

Ending: STACK did not take a formal vote on the plan at this meeting; staff signaled a Commission decision is expected next month.