Like TURF
Follow TURFEditorial: U.S. 36 toll deal needs audit
Editorial: U.S. 36 deal calls for audit
Reporter-Herald Editorial Board
April 28, 2014
A bill proposing a financial audit of the 50 year public-private partnership for changes to U.S. 36 between Boulder and Denver is a good idea because it will emphasize that the public is an important part of this partnership and deserves to know what is going on.
The project between the Colorado Department of Transportation, the state's High Performance Transportation Enterprise and the company Plenary Roads Denver, an Australian-based concern, will widen the highway and install toll lanes and collection areas. Plenary Roads Denver will complete the second phase of the upgrades between Boulder and Broomfield and then collect tolls on the High Occupancy Lanes built by the company, the Denver Post reported.
Rep. Mike Foote, D-Lafayette, and 14 other legislators have proposed the audit to State Auditor Dianne Ray and the Legislative Audit Committee.
The $425 million project deserves greater public scrutiny than it has received so far. Foote said "the people deserve trustworthy answers to the many questions they have on the U.S. 36 project. A state audit will clear up the confusion and give us guidance about the proper role of public-private partnerships in transportation development in Colorado."
Colorado transportation officials have noted that the state has many transportation needs and that traditional state funding alone will not get the jobs done in a timely manner. The state says that more than 80 percent of the transportation department's $1.1 billion budget goes for maintenance of the current system. That's why the involvement of a private company was sought.
The transportation department notes that the Federal Highway Administration defines a public-private partnership as a "contractual agreement formed between a public agency and a private sector entity that allow(s) for greater private sector participation in the delivery and financing of transportation projects." The word public is the most important part of that sentence, and officials should be reminded of who pays the bills and act accordingly.
Another bill, this one by Sen. Matt Jones, D-Louisville, would require more transparency in future public-private partnerships lasting more than 35 years. If approved, there would be requirements for town hall meetings and legislative approval and oversight.
Such a bill is important, because it's not hard to see where the next public-private highway deal might occur: here in Northern Colorado. If it does, residents should be part of the mix.