Lite Rail: Heidi’s Transportation “Plan” is a Dud

State Already has it Covered with Bipartisan Transportation Plan

Today, GOP gubernatorial candidate Heidi Ganahl rolled out a collection of vague transportation ideas that Coloradans will be pleased to know Governor Polis and Colorado leadership are already taking action on.

In typical fashion, Ganahl repeated multiple misleading or false statements during the presser:

• Colorado is not the “47th worst” for rural roads. The Polis Administration has improved over 1,200 miles of rural roads in the last two years. 

• Governor Polis’ 10-year transportation plan already provides approximately $1 billion for paving rural roads. And this funding has not been cut. 

• Heidi’s transportation plan would allocate $300 billion to bridge and tunnel construction and repair over the next 10 years. Through SB21-260 alone, the Polis Administration expects to dedicate $522 million toward bridge and tunnel funding. 

The updated 10-Year Vision for CDOT will improve transit options, lower emissions, and continue to fix our highways, roads, and bridges.

Ganahl also has yet to reveal how she would pay for her plan to cut income taxes to 0%– but now we know that part of it includes shifting $3 billion out of the General Fund, making it even more unrealistic that she would also be able to pay for schools or law enforcement.   

The “plan” also relies heavily on Public-Private Partnerships, something she also promised in her run for CU Regent in 2016 and failed to deliver on. Governor Polis is expanding the use of PPPs in Colorado and created the first state  PPP office. The office will create more opportunities for partnerships between the public and private sector on major priorities like, housing, infrastructure, and child care.  

“Heidi’s first plan is more like a wishlist…of things the Governor is already doing. Heidi is clearly not prepared to be governor, since she can’t even roll out an original plan of her own to tackle the issues Coloradans face.” - Kailee Stiles, spokesperson for the Colorado Democratic Party.