Bennet, Perlmutter Celebrate Bipartisan Infrastructure Funding Support for CDOT's Future Reconstruction of Aging Bridges

Press Release

Today, U.S. Senator Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and U.S. Representative Ed Perlmutter (D-Colo.) celebrated the support the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) funding will provide to the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) bridge reconstruction projects across the state. Bennet and Perlmutter, along with Wheat Ridge Mayor Bud Starker and Arvada Mayor Marc Williams, joined CDOT Executive Director Shoshana Lew in Wheat Ridge to tour the I-70 Ward Road bridges and 44th Avenue bridges along a busy stretch on I-70. CDOT has identified these bridges as needing replacement.

The I-70 West Denver Metro Corridor is a highly traveled and important stretch of interstate connecting the Denver Metro Area to the I-70 Mountain Corridor. Thanks to funding from the IIJA, CDOT will be able to move forward with reconstructing these bridges and many others across the state. Replacing these four aging bridges will improve safety and mobility, relieve congestion, and strengthen Colorado's economy as goods and people can move more efficiently between the state's mountain communities and urban centers.

"After decades of allowing our infrastructure to crumble, last year we finally passed a bipartisan infrastructure bill that will invest more money in our roads and bridges since Eisenhower was President. Today, we saw how CDOT could use some of that federal funding to restore 50-year-old bridges along a busy stretch of I-70 in Jefferson County," said Bennet. "I'm grateful for Director Lew and CDOT's work to be ready to receive this funding and for their future collaboration with Mayor Starker, Mayor Williams, and the rest of Jefferson County to put these funds to good use. Collaboration at every level of government and across county and municipal lines will be critical to our successful use of these funds."

"This is one of the many examples of the significant investment we will see in our community and across the state thanks to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. We have a long list of infrastructure needs and I'm glad to know this critical part of the I-70 corridor will soon get the attention it deserves," said Perlmutter.

"CDOT has been hard at work delivering and planning the projects from our 10-year plan. These are projects that our local communities across the state helped identify as priorities and we've worked together at the state level to find funding opportunities," said CDOT Executive Director Shoshana Lew. "Through this process, we have also identified bridges in need of replacement. Some of those bridges are already funded and will be replaced in 2022, such as the bridges at I-70 over 32nd Avenue and I-70 over Harlan Street in the Denver Metro Area. CDOT is ready to move forward with planning for other bridge replacement projects once the funding from the Infrastructure Bill is allocated."

"On the local level, we are very pleased to welcome this FHA Bridge Formula Program as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Many of these bridges date from the initial construction of the Interstate highway system and are in need of repair or replacement. This will provide greater safety and convenience for the motoring public, as well as creating good jobs in our local communities. We applaud our federal partners for this bipartisan investment in our future," said Wheat Ridge Mayor Bud Starker.

"In Arvada, we have a philosophy of "Taking Lasting Care" of our physical assets. As a region, state and nation, we need to embrace this philosophy when it comes to our infrastructure system. I am pleased at the bipartisan recognition of the need for additional funding for important projects like the I70/Ward Road and 44th Avenue Bridge projects. Although not located in Arvada, many, many Arvada residents and businesses rely on this important component of our roadway system," said Marc Williams, Mayor of Arvada.

Earlier this month, Bennet welcomed $225 million in funding for Colorado bridges from the bipartisan IIJA that President Joe Biden signed into law in November. The funding is a part of the Federal Highway Administration's Bridge Formula Program and will improve bridges that are in poor condition across the state. Colorado will receive $45 million for Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22).

A state-by-state breakdown of this funding is available HERE. A fact sheet on how the bipartisan infrastructure bill will deliver for transportation projects in Colorado is available HERE.

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