Contributions to the Colorado Democratic Party Platform

At the Clear Creek County Democratic Party Caucus, delegates approved these recommendations to the Colorado Democratic Party Platform relating to transportation:

1. Increase penalties for trucks causing traffic accidents and closures of interstate highways in Colorado.  The current penalty of $500 for not carrying chains plus $1,000 is not sufficient to prevent highway closures due to truck accidents.  (Recommendation from caucus attendees is $15,000 to $20,000 fine when I-70 is closed due to a truck accident.)

2. While citizens appreciate the passage of HB 25-1039: COMMERCIAL VEHICLE MUFFLER REQUIREMENTS, the legislation does not include funding for enforcement.  The Legislature should appropriate money for the enforcement of this law. 

3. The state of Colorado must reach an agreement with local governments regarding the control of state and county roads that serve as alternate routes to I-70 during interstate highway incidents.  (A Memorandum of Understanding between Clear Creek County, The City of Idaho Springs and the Colorado Department of Transportation, dated January 16, 2014, actually anticipated this issue.)

4. Local residents are unable to travel locally in order to accomplish critical tasks (pick up school children, get groceries and prescriptions, get to and from work and healthcare appointments) because our local roads are at a standstill due to highway travelers seeking a route around an intestate blockage or closure.  This situation makes life intolerable and unsafe for local residents.  We witnessed local emergency responders unable to travel through Clear Creek County during the most recent incident on March 5, 2026.  Parents were unable to retrieve their school children.  Frustration with the lack of ability to reserve use of local roadways for local residents has reached a fever pitch.

5. Open Peak Period Shoulder Lanes promptly when there is a traffic incident that restricts the flow of traffic on I-70. (The Memorandum of Understanding between the Federal Highway Administration, the Colorado Department of Transportation, and the Colorado High-Performance Transportation Enterprise – drafted and provided to Clear Creek County in 2019 - enables this action.)

6. Because of the severe impacts on local mobility for Clear Creek County residents when both I-70 and our local road networks are congested by traffic passing through our communities, it is recommended that Clear Creek County residents should have access to the Peak Period Shoulder Lanes at no charge.