CDOT Region 3 lays out funding squeeze, 10‑year priorities and Lake County projects

Colorado Department of Transportation Region 3 officials told Lake County commissioners on June 23 that the region faces a widening gap between infrastructure needs and available funding, forcing trade‑offs in paving, culvert replacement and safety work.

“Everything we do is really core around safety, mobility and asset management,” said Jason Smith, regional transportation director for CDOT Region 3, opening the briefing. He said Region 3 manages about 5,000 lane miles, roughly 700 bridges and “about 15,000 culverts,” and that many assets are aging out of normal service lives.

Mark Rogers, regional planning manager, described the department’s revenue picture and spending priorities. He said federal and fuel‑related revenues remain the backbone of the program and noted roughly $1.6 billion in core program funding and an approximately $2 billion total program figure for the state. Rogers said capital construction—almost $800–850 million statewide—comprises the largest single outlay, and that maintenance, operations and suballocated programs (grant flows to local agencies) consume the rest.

Why it matters: CDOT officials stressed that formula changes and constrained state funds mean Region 3 will have to prioritize which corridors receive major work. For Lake County, that can mean longer waits for local resurfacing and a tighter schedule for culvert and bridge work.

Lake County details and near‑term projects Karen Berlay, CDOT program engineer for the area, highlighted work directly affecting Lake County: a 2026 resurfacing project on US‑24 that includes chain‑station and culvert work, and a larger 2029 project on a remaining section of US‑24 (mile ~156–166) that will add shoulders and safety improvements with about $3.4–$4.5 million of planned safety/shoulder funding in the 10‑year plan.

“We’re putting around a little over $10 million on Highway 24 in 2026 of just paving funds,” she said, adding that design work on Redcliffe Bridge rehabilitation is underway with construction expected in 2028.

Traffic safety and operations Zay Zamnichek, Region 3 traffic and safety engineer, summarized operations work including a regionwide LED and back‑plate signal update this summer and a striping program. Zamnichek also walked the commissioners through recent crash trends: the region has seen a multi‑year decline in fatalities but experienced an unusual late‑season motorcycle spike; he emphasized that about 40–50% of region crashes occur on local roads rather than state highways.

On traffic calming requests, CDOT staff advised residents and county staff to provide specific mileposts and crash data so engineers can evaluate countermeasures such as centerline rumble strips or shouldering during routine overlays or larger projects.

Funding tradeoffs and local requests Officials repeatedly noted that state and federal funding rules and the age of the motor‑fuel tax (a per‑gallon base set decades ago) constrain flexibility. Rogers said regions typically receive about 60% of available funds after off‑the‑top appropriations; cities and counties split the remaining 40% (about 20% each).

Local officials asked how County public‑works teams and CDOT can coordinate to nominate specific countermeasures and deliverable projects; staff pointed to the transportation planning region (TPR) and the suballocated program as the main paths for aligning local priorities with CDOT’s capital delivery.

What’s next CDOT staff encouraged continued local engagement through TPRs and direct coordination with Region 3 planners and traffic staff. For Lake County that means continuing design and funding conversations for the 2029 Highway 24 safety project and following up on Redcliffe Bridge design progress.

Quotes “Everything we do is really core around safety,” Jason Smith said. “We have about 600 positions in this region — we’re about 10% vacant — and a lot of our staff are very young, which puts pressure on training and delivery.”

“Capital construction is our largest expense,” Mark Rogers said. “When you look at the distribution, CDOT gets roughly 60% after off‑the‑top appropriations and the cities and counties divide the rest.”

Ending Commissioners thanked the CDOT Region 3 team and directed staff to follow up on project priorities for Lake County, including the 2029 Highway 24 work and the Redcliffe Bridge design. Residents were encouraged to provide crash mileposts and local data to make the strongest case for near‑term countermeasures.