Colorado voters won't decide major road funding ballot measure in November

A deal could keep Colorado voters from deciding on a major road funding measure this November. Backers of Initiative 175, known as the Restore Our Roads measure, have agreed to pull it from the ballot under a tentative agreement with state lawmakers, CBS Colorado's Your Political Reporter, Shaun Boyd, has learned.

The deal would call for the state legislature to set aside more money for roads in the short and long term. 

The ballot measure came about because the Restore Our Roads group and lawmakers failed to compromise. Colorado Attorney General and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Phil Weiser helped push the negotiations toward a deal, according to a source familiar with the talks.

"This is the type of bold strategy and commitment that Coloradans wanted and need," said Restore Our Roads co-chair, Jeff Keller, in a statement. "It goes beyond what the ballot measure contemplated, both in the level of revenue it will produce and in its ability to address the major roads and bridges projects that have been ignored for too long. It will also prioritize long-needed maintenance and repair to ensure the safety of our roads for all Coloradans. Our goal has always been to give Colorado taxpayers a voice in how the taxes and fees they pay for transportation are used. And now they finally will."

"Maintaining Colorado's roads and bridges is not only right for safety but also prevents Coloradans from spending more time in traffic and more money on car repairs.  I'm grateful that the Initiative 175 proponents were willing to collaborate and find a path forward - one that will produce a ballot measure that we can all get behind," said Weiser in a statement.  "The agreement we reached today will meaningfully fund our transportation system and protect scarce resources for other critical services. Only when we listen to each other can we find common ground. I'm grateful to the Restore Our Roads leaders, Rep. Boesenecker, and Sen. Amabile, for the dialogue and partnership in reaching this agreement to fund our transportation system."

Initiative 175 would have required Colorado to spend roughly $2 billion a year on road transportation projects, including about $540 million from the state's general fund. That funding would have come from existing sales taxes generated from motor vehicles and motor vehicle parts and fuel taxes.