Transportation

RTD has received the Record of Decision (ROD) approval for Arvada's Gold Line commuter rail, along with another billion to share between this corridor and the DIA line, when money becomes available. ROD is issued when the final environmental impact statement (FEIS) has been approved. The same process is followed for each of the several corridors comprising FasTracks. Federal regulations require that viable alternatives for transit modes be considered and comments regarding such be addressed preceding the ROD. This has not been done.

Beginning July 1, Colorado drivers will pay higher taxes —we're told to call them "fees" — on every vehicle every year when we renew our license plates.

The increase of $29 to $51 per vehicle is projected to generate $250 million annually to repair unsafe roads and bridges, Gov. Bill Ritter said when he signed the "fee" hike into law.

The bridge collapse in Minneapolis on August 1, 2007 was a horrible thing to witness. I was working at my desk with a nearby television on to catch up on the day's news and saw the nearly real-time scenes that seemed completely unbelievable. Minnesota freshman Senator Amy Klobuchar shortly thereafter said exactly what we all were thinking:

"A bridge in America just shouldn't fall down."