Commitment to Bold, Long-Term Road Investment Strategy

The commitment would address major statewide projects, close years of funding shortfalls and includes investment contemplated by ballot initiative

For Immediate Release 

Date: August 27, 2026 

DENVER – After months of conversation, state leaders Thursday committed to a bold, short term and long-term funding strategy to maintain, repair and improve Colorado roads.

Given the solid commitment from state leaders and elected officials, Restore Our Roads will withdraw its proposed ballot measure, Initiative 175, which proposed using existing sales taxes generated from motor vehicles and motor vehicle parts and fuel taxes to fix and maintain Colorado’s crumbling roads.

“This is the type of bold strategy and commitment that Coloradans wanted and need,” said Restore Our Roads co-chair, Jeff Keller. “It goes beyond what the ballot measure contemplated, both in the level of revenue it will produce and, in its ability, to address the major roads and bridges projects that have been ignored for too long. It will also prioritize long needed maintenance and repair to ensure the safety of our roads for all Coloradans. Our goal has always been to give Colorado taxpayers a voice in how the taxes and fees they pay for transportation are used. And now they finally will.”

This agreement for a transportation funding framework emerged after Attorney General Phil Weiser, and the sponsors of HB 26-1430, including Rep., Andy Boesenecker, D-Fort Collins, and Sen. Judy Amabile, D-Boulder, engaged collaboratively with the Restore our Roads leaders in recognition that Colorado needs reliable, modern transportation infrastructure to support businesses, commuters and safe travel in every part of the state. That shift in the conversation brought a small group of stakeholders together to explore a bold, pragmatic and long-term transportation strategy for Colorado’s future that encompasses rural, urban and mountain communities.

"Maintaining Colorado's roads and bridges is not only right for safety but also prevents Coloradans from spending more time in traffic and more money on car repairs.  I'm grateful that the Initiative 175 proponents were willing to collaborate and find a path forward - one that will produce a ballot measure that we can all get behind,” said Weiser, the Democratic nominee for Colorado Governor.  “The agreement we reached today will meaningfully fund our transportation system and protect scarce resources for other critical services. Only when we listen to each other can we find common ground. I'm grateful to the Restore Our Roads leaders, Rep. Boesenecker, and Sen. Amabile, for the dialogue and partnership in reaching this agreement to fund our transportation system."

This commitment to fund roads comes after multiple years in which transportation stakeholders sought meaningful engagement to address massive road-funding gaps without success.

“Coloradans expect us to find practical solutions that keep our roads safe, our communities connected, and our economy moving,” said Boesenecker. “This agreement reflects what’s possible when we bring people together, listen in good faith, and focus on a sustainable, long-term approach to funding the transportation infrastructure our state depends on.”

“We’ve all been in agreement that Colorado’s roads need investment, improvement, and repair,” said Amabile. “But as a state lawmaker and member of the Joint Budget Committee, protecting Colorado’s long-term budget needs is always top of mind. This agreement is a strong path forward that creates a plan to invest in Colorado’s roads while protecting state funding for the other priorities as well as transportation needs Coloradans have elected us to deliver on.”

Colorado’s roads are the backbone of its economy, connecting workers to jobs, businesses to customers, farmers and manufacturers to markets, and visitors to the communities and destinations that drive the state’s tourism industry.

“Coloradans need to be able to rely on safe and dependable infrastructure, and businesses statewide continue to rely on that same transportation network to operate, compete and grow long into the future,” said Loren Furman, President & CEO of the Colorado Chamber of Commerce. “We are pleased that everyone could come together to ensure all Colorado bridges and roads will be adequately funded.”

Contact

Karen Crummy

(720) 318-4281