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CDOT urges approval of bill to accelerate bridge-and-tunnel impact-fee increases, saying it will generate $28 million
Summary
The Department of Transportation supported accelerating statutorily scheduled increases to the bridge-and-tunnel impact fee, estimating an additional $28 million for bridge repairs over three years and saying the fee is not a new tax but an acceleration of an existing schedule.
The committee advanced Senate Bill 320 after testimony from Colorado Department of Transportation officials who said the bill accelerates already‑scheduled increases to the bridge and tunnel impact fee and would generate roughly $28 million more over the next three years for bridge and tunnel repairs.
Patrick Halenda, managing director for CDOT’s Bridge and Tunnel Enterprise, told the committee the fee is a per‑gallon special fuels fee created by Senate Bill 21260 and that the bill would accelerate planned statutory 1¢-per-year increases scheduled through fiscal 2029. Halenda said the enterprise has reduced Colorado’s share of poorly rated bridge deck area from roughly 10% of total inventory (the federal performance threshold) to about 5% in 2024 and that the enterprise would “deploy these fees rapidly” to address repair and maintenance needs.
Halenda and legislative liaison Emily Hathaway said the proposal does not create a new fee but advances increases the statute already contemplates, and CDOT framed the bill as a tool to offset recent reductions in the department’s capital plans — including a $44 million cut to safety and asset management and $120 million taken from the 10‑year capital plan in the state’s FY2026 budget actions.
Committee members asked questions; no witnesses registered opposition. After the committee adopted technical amendments (L001 and L002 and J002), the committee passed the bill unanimously and placed it on the consent calendar.
