HomeMy WebLinkAboutCDOT TPR Boundary Change 11.23
November 21, 2023
Colorado Transportation Commission (TC)
Statewide Transportation Advisory Committee (STAC)
Transportation Planning Region Boundary Study Advisory Committee
Shoshana Lew, CDOT Executive Director
RE: Pitkin County position on TPR boundary change proposal
Dear Commissioners, Committee members and Executive Director Lew,
The Pitkin County Board of County Commissioners respectfully submits this letter expressing
opposition to the currently proposed changes to existing Transportation Planning Region Boundaries.
Pitkin County has been an active participant in regional transportation planning since the inception of
the Intermountain Transportation Planning Region (IMTPR) almost 30 years ago. All member counties
have benefited from these regional planning efforts. Across the planning region, projects have been
identified, programmed and executed as the result of those collaborations. The 2018 process that
resulted in the IMTPR 10 Year Plan is an example, which resulted in the identification and
prioritization of projects representing each of the five Counties in the IMTPR.
An amendment to HB23-1101 (Ozone Season Transit Grant Program Flexibility) required CDOT to
study current TPR boundaries and recommend changes to the Transportation Commission. The
recommendation has been made based on TPR population and vehicle miles traveled, but it fails to
adequately account for the cooperation between TPR representatives to solve transportation issues
from a regional and statewide perspective. There is not a single proposed change to any TPR that
confers any discernible monetary, representational or relationship benefit to the affected TPRs.
While there have been spirited debates and territorial squabbles between the rural TPR’s and the
Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO' s), they were always civil and typically resulted in the
development of effective consensus driven decisions. There has never been an issue of such
contention that the discussion resulted in demands for changes to boundaries or representation. To
further the point, there has never been a question raised regarding equity of representation, either by
a TPR representative or the broader public. Finally, the State Transportation Advisory Commission
(STAC) recently voted unanimously to not support any TPR boundary change recommendations from
CDOT.
530 E. Main Street Aspen, CO 81611 970-920-5200
Due to the lack of discernible benefit and harm to current collaborative regional relationships,
Pitkin County fully supports the position of the IMTPR and STAC opposing any changes to existing
TPR boundaries.
Sincerely,
Pitkin County Board of Commissioners
Francie Jacober
Chair
530 E. Main Street Aspen, CO 81611 970-920-5200