Colorado transportation leaders on Thursday set aside $25 million for emergency road repairs and repaving on mountain highways torn up by one of the heaviest winter snowfall seasons on record.
That road-repair money for the Colorado Department of Transportation — which will target trouble spots on U.S. 40 over Berthoud Pass and other routes — comes on top of another $19.6 million to plug CDOT’s strained snow-plowing budget. And there’s still several weeks left before the winter storm season typically ends in the high country.
“As of March 31, this is the fifth … most potent winter we’ve had in the last 50 years,” John Lorme, CDOT’s director of maintenance and operations, said Wednesday afternoon during a presentation to the Colorado Transportation Commission.
Continuing snowfall since then could nudge this winter season to the fourth- or third-heaviest in that time frame in terms of statewide snowpack, he said.
Commission members, who have heard an earful from drivers about bumpy roads this winter, approved a budget amendment providing the extra money to CDOT on Thursday morning. To cover CDOT’s requests, the commission tapped nearly $45 million from its own program reserve fund, which is intended in part for unanticipated expenses during the year.
“CDOT has taken on one of the harshest winters in memory, and I want to thank the men and women who logged nearly a million miles more than they usually do in our plows to keep roads clear,” executive director Shoshana Lew said in a news release Thursday. “As we see the winter season through to its end, we are looking to quickly address road surface quality, whether it be potholes or more severe damage sustained over the winter.”
The heavy storms have depleted CDOT’s $84 million snow- and ice-removal budget, and CDOT also has blown through a $12 million maintenance reserve fund for plowing. Lorme said inflationary increases in operating expenses for CDOT’s truck fleet also have played a role by driving per-mile plow costs slightly higher in the last year.
The nearly $20 million in extra money for snow-clearing will cover what CDOT has spent to keep plows running in the last month or so by shifting money in its budget. It’s also expected to cover the season’s remaining storms, Lorme said.
State highways have taken a beating from this winter’s recurring freeze-thaw cycles as well as the impact on roads of the chains required on heavy trucks’ tires when the state’s traction law has been activated.
It’s worse than the usual winter wear and tear, CDOT leaders say.
Crews have been dispatched to patch potholes using a temporary “cold mix” treatment, including on U.S. 40, but permanent fixes will be needed. Officials say the normal summer maintenance budget won’t be able to cover all the extra needs this year.
“We’re talking about, in many locations, more significant work where we’re talking pavement reconstruction and rehabilitation — not just simple pothole repair,” said Jeff Sudmeier, CDOT’s chief financial officer, during the commission presentation.
While snow is still falling in some areas, a quick melt-off elsewhere has caused flooding, damaging other roads. That includes U.S. 151 in southwestern Colorado.
Sudmeier said CDOT was still compiling a full list of emergency repairs, with $25 million used as a ballpark estimate. He said he planned to detail CDOT’s spending of the money for the commission in coming months.
Get more Colorado news by signing up for our Mile High Roundup email newsletter.
