Restore Our Roads Rejects Initiative Withdrawal Demand

Presses Ahead to Cut Taxes and Fix Colorado’s Roads

For Immediate Release

Date: June 9, 2026

DENVER – Restore Our Roads remains open to working with legislative leaders on a sustainable plan to fund Colorado’s roads, but the coalition Monday rejected legislators’ attempts to force the withdraw of a ballot measure to use road taxes for roads before any meaningful, good‑faith conversations even begin.

Setting an arbitrary June 15th deadline to withdraw Initiative 175 with only a working group to explore possible solutions with no commitments is not a reasonable approach. As one Colorado reporter put it: “you can kind of call this blackmail.”

The silver lining is that Colorado voters will receive a three-year tax cut, followed by consistent and sustainable funding for the state’s crumbling roads if they pass Initiative 175 in November, under a bill signed into law last week by Gov. Jared Polis, and passed in the last days of the Session.

Although lawmakers tried to sabotage Initiative 175 with last-minute legislation that slashed its funding, those cuts now mean lower gas taxes for drivers, with road dollars still coming – they will just be delayed three years.

“Road transportation money should fund roads, and Initiative 175 finally does that – without raising taxes,” said Tony Milo, President & CEO of the Colorado Contractors Association. “It’s unfortunate Gov. Polis is forcing Coloradans to wait three more years to fix the roads, but in the meantime, they will get a much-needed break at the pump and, over the long haul, safer, better-maintained roads.”

Initiative 175 dedicates existing sales taxes generated from motor vehicles and motor vehicle parts and fuel taxes to fixing and maintaining Colorado’s deteriorating roads. The bill Gov. Polis signed into law, HB26-1430, provides that if voters pass Initiative 175, the gas tax and road use tax will be reduced to equal the amount of money voters said they want to go to roads – about $700 million a year or 2% of the state’s budget. Currently, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is $350 million short in funding  each year to merely maintain the current road conditions.

The passage of HB 26-1430 unleashed an unprecedented power grab by the governor and Democratic-controlled legislature that strips voters of their right to decide how road dollars are spent with the stroke of a pen.

ROR handed in 188,000 signatures two weeks ago to qualify for the ballot. Initiative 175 must have 124,238 valid signatures signed by 2% of the total registered electors in each of the 35 Colorado state senate districts. The Colorado Secretary of State’s Office are reviewing the signatures and will have a decision by the end of the month. 

Contact

Karen Crummy

(720) 318-4281