Governor Polis is signing a bill. The new laws will affect road works, health care, etc.

Governor Jared Polis signed a $ 5.4 billion transportation package on Thursday, which he says will benefit the very stretch of road under which the open-air signing ceremony took place.

The overhanging bridge creaked from heavy traffic, and the smell of heated truck brakes filled the air.

Many Coloradians have been stranded on this particular stretch of I-70 in the mountains near Floyd Hill as trucks slow down to navigate a sharp turn at the bottom of a slope.

And four years ago, a basketball-sized hole appeared just above where Polis signed the bill and led to four-mile traffic saves before des busy New Years holidays.

Polis said Senate Bill 260 would help build another lane on a seven-mile stretch of the highway and solve other big issues.

“The average Coloradan loses over $ 600 a year over time, stuck in traffic, and you can’t even put a price on uneconomic time, ”Polis said. “How do you award a prize for missing your child’s football game? How do you put a price on not being there to help your child with their homework because you’re stuck in traffic? ”

To finance road works, the state requires Coloradians to start paying new fees next year.

They include an additional 2 cents per gallon of gasoline from July 2022 and an additional 27 cents on deliveries via FedEx, Amazon and restaurants.

Combined with investments from the general state fund, the measure is expected to bring in $ 5.4 billion over the next 11 years.

“Utah, Nebraska: We’re back, ”said House Speaker Alec Garnett, D-Denver, at the signing ceremony. “Your citizens will no longer drive in our state laughing at our roads, okay? We will no longer be 37th in the country in terms of the quality of our highways. We will no longer be 47th in terms of the condition of our rural roadway and our safety on rural roads. ”

Polis signed several other bills this week, including:

● A measure aimed at creating a new insurance option in the individual insurance market. Supporters say he will cut bonuses by 15% over the next three years. But even some Democrats who helped pass it are skeptical of its success, after the measure was changed more than 20 times.

● A bill creating a new council of state to set ceilings on the price of prescription drugs.

● Several stimulus bills, including funding for forest fire prevention, renewable energy programs, and grants for weddings and other events that fill enough hotel rooms.

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