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CDOT previews Vision 2035 with ambitious mode‑shift targets; rural commissioners warn of cost and feasibility
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Summary
CDOT staff presented a high‑level Transportation Vision 2035 that sets aggressive statewide targets for transit, walking and biking; presenters and commissioners acknowledged the goals are aspirational while several rural commissioners warned the targets risk outpacing available funding and local capacity.
CDOT staff previewed a statewide Transportation Vision 2035 to the Transportation Commission on Feb. 13, outlining aggressive, nonbinding targets for transit, bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure and urging collaboration across state, regional and local partners.
The department presented numeric targets the plan ties to a 2024 baseline, including an 81% increase in bicycle infrastructure, a 3.4% statewide increase in sidewalks, a goal for 52% of new housing units to be in transit‑oriented areas and 77% within existing U.S. census urban areas. Nathan Lindquist, senior land use planner in CDOT's Division of Transportation Development, said the document is “really just a vision and kind of saying, you know, all of these different entities, the more everybody can work together towards this vision.” He added the targets were drawn from prior greenhouse‑gas rule analysis and described them as long‑term, statewide ambitions rather than specific CDOT mandates: “These really aren't goals for CDOT,” Lindquist said.
Commissioners and regional representatives pressed on feasibility and funding. Commissioner Kevin Ross (Upper Front Range) said the approach risks centering front‑range solutions that “in rural Colorado, it's not a reality,” and several rural representatives warned targets that expand transit and active‑transportation service substantially would require funding that is not currently available. Chair Beatty and multiple commissioners emphasized the goals are intentionally ambitious; Lindquist acknowledged the numbers are “very ambitious and aggressive goals” that would require many partners and substantial resources to realize.
Presenters and commissioners also discussed linkages to ongoing state efforts. Darius (CDOT staff) noted the document was aligned with Policy Directive 14 (PD 14) in several respects but does not add new mandates for the department. Commissioners asked for appendices and more detail on how percentage increases translate to mileage or operating‑cost estimates; staff pointed listeners to the plan appendix for mileage estimates and to related funding discussions underway at the legislature and in the Clean Transit Enterprise.
Why it matters: The Vision 2035 document sets a high‑level policy frame likely to inform future rulemaking, funding proposals and legislative debate. Commissioners from rural regions cautioned that formal alignment between local plans and this statewide vision could create unfunded requirements or expectations without accompanying revenue.
CDOT said the vision is meant to prompt collaboration rather than immediate programmatic changes. Staff encouraged TPRs and MPOs to review the full document and noted the plan's assumptions use 2024 as a baseline year and rely on prior greenhouse‑gas analyses for quantification.
Commissioners requested more detail on cost implications—particularly for the large transit revenue‑mile increases implied by the targets—and on how the goals would be interpreted by the legislature and in future grant programs. CDOT said those discussions are ongoing and that the Vision 2035 document is intended to be a starting point for statewide coordination.
The commission did not take any formal action on Vision 2035 at the meeting.
