Plan for I-70 toll road is dropped in Senate

DENVER - Dislike toll roads? Colorado is turning into the state for you.

Senate Minority Leader Andy McElhany killed his own plan Thursday to place tolls on the mountain area of Interstate 70 because he didn't have the votes to pass it. The Colorado Springs Republican had proposed setting up $5 booths on each side of the Eisenhower Tunnel and using the money to improve the highway from Floyd Hill to the tunnel.

Meanwhile, the Senate added amendments to a bill on the proposed Super Slab toll road that would wipe the corridor for the road out of public records, or eliminate plans for the road altogether.

A measure by Rep. Marsha Looper, R-Calhan, was meant to take any mention of the 3-mile-wide corridor off of the property titles of the people in it, so they could sell or refinance their land more easily. But a last-minute add-on by Sen. Tom Wiens, R-Castle Rock, would eliminate all plans filed by the road backers and make them start over under stricter rules.

Looper said, however, that she hopes to remove the voiding of the corridor when House and Senate members get together to work out differences in their bills.

Also Thursday, a Democratic senator introduced a bill to raise annual vehicle registration fees $25 and impose a $6 daily rental-car fee to raise $197 million for road and bridge improvements.

CONTACT THE WRITER: (303) 837-0613 or ed.sealover@gazette.com