DENVER -- Denver voters approved $431 million to go toward transportation by a wide margin Monday night. So, what do those numbers mean for you and your commute? Denver7 broke them down.
To start, the biggest ticket item within "Referred Question 2A" goes for standard road repair and maintenance. The total of $101 million is dedicated for road repaving, sidewalk replacement, and fixes to gutters throughout Denver.
"For people in Denver, living in Denver, working in Denver, they will benefit from it, there's no question about it. These are things you have to do," DU professor and transportation expert Andrew Goetz said.
Goetz added the money can make a difference, but can it change Denver's traffic "grade"?
"Maybe a C to a B because it does improve things," he said.
But for those hoping for a silver bullet solution to the traffic and infrastructure issues in Denver and the Front Range, Goetz said you should pump the brakes.
"We shouldn't expect miracles in terms of what it's going to do for our transportation picture," he said.
The second most expensive part of the ballot question will benefit Colfax. A total of $55 million is earmarked for a "bus rapid transit" program planned for the avenue.
"The buses will have their own dedicated lane exactly like a subway system would underground," Frank Locantore of the Colfax Avenue Business Improvement District told Denver7.
That project is still in the final assessment stage and construction is still years away, but the funding provided by 2A makes a big difference.
"Today it's a reality," Locantore said.
The rest of the money from the bond will go toward redesigning roads for increased traffic flow, adding pedestrian bridges and miles of bike path and bike lanes, among other things.
Some other highlights:
- $30 million for citywide sidewalk repairs
- $27 million for 56th Avenue improvements
- $23 million for Washington Street reconstruction
- $20 million for Colfax corridor improvements
- $18 million for citywide bike infrastructure
