Restore Our Roads Submits Signatures to Qualify Initiative 175 for November Ballot

For Immediate Release

Date: May 26, 2026

DENVER — Restore Our Roads (ROR) announced Tuesday it has submitted more than 188,000 voter signatures to the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office to qualify Initiative 175 for the November 2026 ballot.

Initiative 175 ensures specified existing state revenue generated by transportation-related taxes and fees is spent on road transportation, without raising taxes.

“This is a huge step forward for all the Coloradans tired of bad roads, endless congestion and politicians who talk about transportation but never deliver a sustainable funding solution,” said Tony Milo, President & CEO of the Colorado Contractors Association, a ROR coalition member.

Also Tuesday, ROR sent a letter to interested stakeholders across Colorado seeking input on long-term solutions to the state’s transportation funding challenges by June 15th, the arbitrary deadline for a potential compromise imposed by the legislature through HB 26-1430. The bill, which only goes into effect the initiative passes in November, will override the will of the voters by gutting funding for the initiative.

“If, in the end, the legislature truly chooses to override the will of the voters, than that will be their decision to explain to the people of Colorado,” Milo said. “Our job is to make sure Coloradans have a clear choice and a real opportunity to be heard.”

Initiative 175 dedicates existing sales taxes generated from motor vehicles and motor vehicle parts and fuel taxes to fixing and maintaining Colorado’s crumbling roads. The legislature’s new bill provides that if voters pass Initiative 175, the legislature will reduce the gas tax and road use tax to equal the amount of money voters have said they want to go to roads.

ROR is engaging in good faith with stakeholders even as it continues moving forward to qualify Initiative 175 for the ballot. Colorado drivers deserve a real solution to the state’s road funding crisis and the right to vote on that solution in November.

Initiative 175 dedicates just 2% of the state budget to road repair and maintenance and does not raise taxes. State leaders claim that this small percentage will “decimate” Medicaid, K-12, and higher education, but nothing in Initiative 175 cuts a single dollar from healthcare or classrooms. All it does is ensure that existing transportation-related revenue is finally used for its intended purpose: fixing and maintaining Colorado’s roads. Decisions about how to prioritize funding for each and every state programs rests with elected officials and are not attributable to this proposed measure. For years, roads have been at the bottom of that priority list.

Colorado motorists pay between $7.1 billion and $11.4 billion annually – roughly $3,060 per vehicle in metro areas – for vehicle repairs and fuel costs related to poor road conditions and congestion delays. These costs reach far beyond commuters, affecting school transportation, emergency response times, and business operations statewide.

“Anyone who drives our roads knows how bad they are. Potholes and crumbling pavement are costing me and other drivers across the state time and money,” said Michael A. Hancock, proponent of Initiative 175. “The current funding system simply isn’t getting the job done, and now Colorado families are paying the price.”

Additionally, deteriorating infrastructure was likely a contributing factor in approximately one-third of all fatal traffic crashes from 2013 to 2023. During that ten-year period, traffic fatalities increased 49%, according to a TRIP study published last year.

Yet, state leaders have either sat on their hands or proactively made things worse, raiding transportation dollars for other budgetary needs. In the last legislative session, lawmakers took another $100 million from the transportation budget even though current funding falls about $350 million short each year of what the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) needs just to maintain existing infrastructure. At least $200 million of that shortfall is required for pavement maintenance alone.

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.

Contact

Karen Crummy

(720) 318-4281