Colorado Wins $8 Million Federal Grant for US 287 Improvements

Colorado will receive nearly $8.3 million to improve safety and freight efficiency on a 122-mile segment of US 287 in the southeastern part of the state. The U.S. Department of Transportation is awarding the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) $8,297,000 for the Ports-to-Plains project through the federal Infrastructure For Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant program. The project seeks to add approximately 12 miles of passing lanes along US 287, known as the Ports-to-Plains Corridor. Colorado Senators Michael Bennet, Cory Gardner, and Representative Ken Buck sent a letter to Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao in March of 2019 supporting the US 287 Passing Lanes Project.

The project corridor has high national and regional significance. The highway is part of the Ports-to-Plains Corridor and was designated a High Priority Corridor by Congress in 1998. The Ports-to-Plains Trade Route extends from Mexico to Denver, as the southern third of the overall 2,300-mile Ports-to-Plains Alliance from Mexico to northern Alberta. This overall route traverses ten states in America’s rural energy and agricultural heartland.

“Safety and mobility are so important to have an effective transportation system and to support healthy local economies,” said Governor Jared Polis. “With these funds, travel on U.S. Highway 287 through rural Colorado, a major agricultural corridor, will become much more safe and efficient.”

“Thanks to the strong support of Colorado’s Congressional delegation and the recognition by Secretary Chao of this project’s important, we will be able to make safety upgrades to an important commercial corridor,” said CDOT Executive Director Shoshana Lew. “As we have consistently heard on our ongoing planning and outreach process, passing lanes are a straightforward and effective solution to help freight traffic travel alongside smaller vehicles, and these upgrades will help people and goods safely get where they need to go.”

“I am thrilled to see US 287 is receiving this important funding, as it is a vital freight route and is key to Southeastern Colorado’s connectivity,” said Senator Gardner. “This funding will help upgrade infrastructure in rural Colorado, bolster safety, reduce congestion, and create a more efficient path for commercial freight to travel in and out of Southeast Colorado.”

“Colorado’s Ports-to-Plains Corridor is crucial to our state and our country’s energy, agriculture, and tourism industries,” said Senator Bennet. “To keep pace with Colorado’s growth, our highways require significant investment. This grant will enable CDOT to add passing lanes along US 287, alleviating congestion and enhancing safety.”

“Infrastructure is an important facet of our nation’s economy and vital to our way of life in eastern Colorado,” said Congressman Buck. “I’m glad to see the U.S. Department of Transportation award CDOT with much-needed funding for our state’s Ports-to-Plains project so we can help ease commercial freight travel and improve safety along the US 287 corridor.”