CDOT Region 3 lays out budget constraints, 10‑year plan and local projects for Lake County

Jason Smith, regional transportation director for Colorado Department of Transportation Region 3, told the Lake County Board of County Commissioners on June 23 that the department’s work centers on safety, mobility and asset management as it wrestles with flat fuel‑tax revenue and rising construction costs.

Why it matters: Region 3 — the largest in square miles and responsible for more than 5,000 lane miles, 13 passes and 700 bridges — faces a backlog of asset work and constrained funding. That affects local county road and bridge budgets because state distributions and suballocated programs feed municipal and county maintenance funding.

Smith and Mark Rogers, Region 3 regional planning manager, said CDOT’s budget includes roughly $1.6 billion in core program spending statewide, with the single largest revenue source tied to motor‑fuel taxes and federal programs. Rogers said capital construction and long‑range projects account for the largest share of expenditures; roughly $800–850 million of the program is devoted to construction, with maintenance and suballocated local programs as other principal outlays.

Rogers flagged that the motor fuel tax is stable but no longer grows with demand, and formula changes planned for FY29 will shift pavement allocations toward higher‑use corridors — a move that will reduce pavement funding for some rural areas. He said Region 3’s current pavement allocation is about $55 million and that the region is not currently able to maintain a 12–15 year resurfacing cycle.

On specific local work, program engineer Karen Berlay highlighted recent and planned projects in Lake County: a completed Highway 82 resurfacing near Twin Lakes, work on Highway 24 in 2026 that includes paving, culvert repairs and improvements to multiple chain‑stations, and a larger Highway 24 project currently planned in 2029 (mile marker ~156–166) that carries shoulder and safety funding in the multi‑millions. Design work is also under way on the Redcliffe Bridge rehabilitation, with construction anticipated in 2028.

Traffic and safety staff said the region will begin a signal LED and back‑plate replacement program and continue striping and epoxy maintenance work this summer. Region 3 traffic engineer Zane Zamnichek noted the region had a downward trend in fatalities over recent years but stressed the state saw a spike last year; he also reported an unusual late‑season rise in motorcycle crashes tied to warmer weather.

Local commissioners and emergency responders pressed CDOT on targeted countermeasures for county corridors, including Center‑line rumble strips on Highway 91. CDOT recommended two paths: inclusion of measures as part of larger corridor projects developed through the TPR process for longer, more expensive solutions, and earlier, direct engagement with traffic staff for smaller‑scale countermeasures that might be implemented without a full capital project.

CDOT staff urged local officials to share specific mileposts and incident data, and to work with law enforcement and county staff to compile the evidence needed to prioritize fixes. Smith and Rogers offered to follow up with county staff on project timing and funding options.

What’s next: CDOT and county staff agreed to keep talking: CDOT will work with local officials on traffic data requests and corridor priorities, and the county will consider where to direct advocacy for formula or funding changes that would help maintain more rural pavement miles.