AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) — Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman said the city has been putting off much needed road repairs for years. Now, he wants to fix them through a multimillion-dollar plan.
Coffman said the City of Aurora will face a rough road ahead if they do not do something about infrastructure now.
“If nothing more is done, then in five to 10 years we are looking at doing something called reconstruction. That is very costly, very destructive. That is literally when you have to dig up the road,” Coffman said.
To avoid doing that, he is putting forward a new plan that would stop the city from implementing new programs and return the focus to infrastructure.
“As we come out of the pandemic and our revenues return, then revenues above that, required to maintain the existing programs we have, you find cuts and savings in the budget to support those programs. Everything else beyond that goes to the deficit road maintenance,” Coffman said.
He said that deficit is about $43 million right now, with around $20 million budgeted for roads. City council would have to vote on the mayor’s proposal. While the mayor feels he will have enough support to get this done, not everyone is on board.
In a statement, Councilwoman Alison Coombs said:
“I am committed to dedicating additional funds each year to addressing our road maintenance issues. However, the mayor’s proposal would mean abandoning our other responsibilities and would make us a less resilient city.”
The city’s public works department is hiring and preparing for what could be a busy summer.
“Right now, it’s a matter of we’re doing what we can with what we’ve got. Yes, funding is needed to get the roads up to a higher standard for our citizens,” said Streets Superintendent Mike Morgan.
While there are a few minor projects in the works now, public works said large repair contracts will not start until May 3.