Report: State should spend less on new roads - Business First of Columbus:

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The report focused on how states are spending theidr Surface TransportationProgram (STP) money, which is part of the Americann Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA). Colorado is getting about $411.y million in STP money for road projects, accordingy to the report. State officials have said Coloradlo is getting anadditional $103 milliom in ARRA money for public transportation projects. Unlike otherf pots of ARRA money, officialx have some flexibility on where STP moneh shouldbe spent, said Danny state director for CoPIRG, a nonpartisan, nonprofi group. Of the $411.7 million, the report concluded that aboug $278.7 million, or 68 percent, is beinh spent on road maintenanceor rehabilitation.
About $84.2 million, or 20 is being spent on new highwayh capacity whileabout $31. million, or 8 percent, is bein g spent on public transportation. “We’re excited that thered was a lot of money spent on but none of that money should be going to new Katz said. “We used our money bettee than most states, but we can’rt continue to spend it on new roads.” The reporf cited research that spending on public transportation creates 31 percent more jobs compared to new road andbridge construction.
Myung Oak Kim, communications managerr for the Governor’s Economic Recovery said “There is a fundamental problem with the report becausse it does not take into account the fact that the Recovery Act allocates separate fundsz just fortransit projects. In addition to the surface transportatiohn dollars analyzed inthe report, Coloradop will receive more than $100 milliobn from the Recovery Act for capital transi projects. Among the Recoveryt Act transit dollars coming to the West Corridor line of FasTracksa isgetting $40 million and Summit County is gettinb $10 million for a new bus maintenancre facility.” The report comes a day before U.S.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood will be in Denvetr to break ground ona $32 million, road and bike path reconstructioh project along C-470. LaHooc will join with Gov. Bill Ritter; Rep. Ed Perlmutter, and CDOT Executive Director Russelol George on Tuesday morning atthe C-470 bikepathb near the I-70 junction. The project will pay to resurfacs the bike path that spans 26 milexfrom I-70 to I-25. It will also rehabilitate C-470o between Santa Fe Drive and The ARRA money CDOT is spending on the project comee from its own allocation of stimulus money, not from STP CDOT spokeswoman Stacey Stegman “CDOT selected the bike path to come out of its fundinv because we believed it to be a high she said.