A proposal in Colorado to mandate the spending of state money for road work has made it through to the end of the Colorado State Legislature’s 2026 session.
Known as Initiative 175, and initially touted by the Colorado Contractors Association, the effort has proposed that roughly 2% of the state’s annual budget be dedicated to road and bridge work projects.
The effort has centered on the argument that road spending year after year is neglected in favor of other priorities. Supporters have particularly noted that last year around $140 million in pre-approved state funding was taken out of the Colorado Department of Transportation and spent elsewhere.
If Initiative 175 makes it to the state ballot and wins voter approval, it would become a part of the Colorado constitution and thus legally require transportation work funding. That funding, according to reports, would amount to at least $700 million.
The bill was approved during the first week of May by the House Transportation, Housing and Local Government Committee on its way to surviving intact in the full legislature.
Supporters of the imitative now have just under two weeks to secure the needed signatures, amounting to 2% of all voters in each of the state’s senate districts, to put the proposal on the November ballot.
May 15, 2026
By Garry Boulard
Photo courtesy of Pixabay
