President Signs Five-year Highway Bill, Includes Polis I-70 Amendment

Press Release

An amendment authored by Rep. Jared Polis (CO-02) to designate I-70 from Denver to Utah as a Corridor of High Priority was signed into law today as part of a five-year highway transportation bill. It's the first long-term transportation bill to be signed into law in more than a decade.

With this Congressional designation, I-70 will now be eligible for certain federal funding streams to help with maintenance and improvements on what is a notoriously congested highway, especially during peak ski travel times. High-priority corridors are given preferential consideration when applying for discretionary grant programs like the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) and newly established Nationally Significant Freight and Highway Projects, as well as financing opportunities like those established under the Transportation Infrastructure and Financing Act (TIFIA).

"We all know what it's like to sit in miles of traffic heading up to, or back from, our world-class ski areas," Polis said. "While this amendment doesn't fix that problem immediately, it's an important first step in freeing up federal funds to help alleviate traffic and congestion, and hopefully make us all a little saner on our mountain getaways."

In September, Polis wrote the leaders of the House Transportation Committee outlining Colorado priorities, such as maintenance and improvement projects along I-70, in this major highway bill.

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