WHY IS COLORADO MAKING THE CITY OF DELTA FUND A PART OF THE STATE HIGHWAY SYSTEM?

Since time immemorial, the State of Colorado has used Delta’s main street as a state highway. At one time this worked for both Colorado and Delta. But it hasn’t made sense for many, many years.

Tired of waiting for the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) to act, the people of Delta voted in 2009 to build a bypass around their city. This new route is intended to take heavy truck and HazMat vehicles off Delta’s main street and allows for emergency vehicles to access the north side of town during to coal train activity.  However, Main Street is still CDOT’s truck and HazMat route. 

The bypass Delta financed meets all of CDOT’s physical requirements. It greatly improves the safety of Delta.  It was needed.  However, CDOT refuses to take over its funding and to designate it as part of the state highway system. This refusal by CDOT, in effect, punishes the residents of Delta and Delta County because of insignificant bureaucratic squabbles.

Delta stepped up. Now CDOT must step up.

The nearly $1.4 million in bypass bond payments will drain over 60 percent of Delta's annual infrastructure improvement budget for the next 20 years at a total cost of over 22 million.

Once the state lifts that burden from Delta’s taxpayers, the money will become available for county-wide economic development. The move will strengthen all of Delta County.

So please sign this petition to CDOT. Let’s lift this financial burden off our backs. 

We, the undersigned, who reside in Delta County, Colorado DEMAND that the Colorado Department of Transportation take over funding of the Delta Bypass and that this funding takes place in the year of 2016.