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Boulder TAB: draft 2027–2032 transportation plan faces rising costs and funding uncertainty
Summary
Staff told the Transportation Advisory Board the draft 2027–2032 CIP totals about $157 million but faces pressure from inflation, higher local construction costs and a 0.15% sales‑tax slice that sunsets in 2029. Officials said the transportation maintenance fee starting in 2027 will help but budget risk remains.
The Transportation Advisory Board heard a detailed briefing on the draft 2027–2032 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) on Aug. 10, where staff said the plan represents roughly $157,000,000 in proposed investments, with about $25,000,000 in grant funding included to date.
"The draft 27 to 32 CIP represents approximately $157,000,000 of total investment with approximately $25,000,000 in grants as of today," Garrett Slater, senior engineering manager for capital projects, told the board. Slater cautioned that inflation and construction cost pressures — and what he called a local "Boulder premium" for performing work in town — were pushing project estimates higher.
Slater and colleagues traced the city's funding mix to the transportation fund (largely sales tax), gas‑tax allocations that flow through the state, and various federal and regional grants. He warned that sales‑tax receipts are cyclical and that a current 0.15% sales‑tax allocation dedicated to transportation will sunset in 2029; staff said there is a verbal commitment that the revenue will be replaced from general funds but described that as an unresolved risk.
The board also heard that a new transportation maintenance fee (TMF) will begin generating revenue in 2027 and is expected to support ongoing maintenance needs. "We hope, and expect that to be the case," Slater said about replacing the 0.15% allocation, while also noting the uncertainty of a hard fiscal year.
The CIP briefing closed with a reminder of next steps: staff will hold a public hearing next month, present to the planning board in September, brief city council in a study session late September, and pursue first and second readings of the CIP budget in October.
