Gov. Jared Polis dropped his plan Tuesday to build a $28.5 million pedestrian bridge on the state Capitol’s grounds after Coloradans overwhelmingly rejected the proposal in a recent survey.
Polis’ office made the announcement late Tuesday afternoon after releasing the results of the online survey, which found that nearly 94% of its 87,686 respondents rejected the idea. Only 3,330 people said they wanted the bridge to proceed.
In a statement, Polis sought to embrace the public’s rejection of the project and pirouette away from a bridge that he and his office had championed for the past eight months, despite opposition from neighborhood groups and legislators. Though unscientific, the results since the survey was launched early last week showed intense opposition.
“Coloradans were clear, and I will stop the pedestrian walkway in its tracks,” he said.
Dropping the project means the state will absorb roughly $1.5 million in design costs for the meandering bridge, which would’ve connected the Capitol with Lincoln Veterans Memorial Park by crossing over Lincoln Street. Polis’ office had billed the project as part of a celebration of the state’s 150th birthday next year.
But even before the survey, Polis’ bridge proposal faced a tough road to approval.
A six-member panel of lawmakers that weighs in on capital projects was staunchly opposed. Several of the members rejoiced at the news that Polis backed off the proposal.
“It’s clear what the people of Colorado want us to focus on, and there’s no doubt they want us to focus on things that affect their everyday lives: affordability, good schools, good roads and public safety,” Sen. Kyle Mullica, a Thornton Democrat and the vice chair of the committee, said.
He added: “I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a poll that clear. Ninety-three, 94%. That’s just bananas.”
Polis sought to pay for the project with a mix of public money and private donations. His office estimated the walkway itself would cost up to $20 million, to be paid for with about $8 million from the governor’s discretionary fund and the remaining coming from private fundraising.
The project would take another $8.5 million for related work on the Capitol grounds. That would likely need to come from state coffers — all while the state is reeling from $1.2 billion in cuts to planned spending this year and preparing for another $700 million in cuts next year, along with the impacts of federal belt-tightening.
“I am glad that Coloradans came together to make their voices heard, and that the governor respected the overwhelming majority who do NOT want to see this pedestrian walkway advance,” Capital Development Committee chair Rep. Tammy Story, a Conifer Democrat, said in a statement. “Now, I hope we can come together, as a state, to focus on prioritizing the needs of everyday Coloradans in the face of unprecedented cuts to our vital safety net programs.”
Sen. Byron Pelton, a Sterling Republican who sits on the capital committee, said that with its four Democrats and two Republicans united in opposition to the proposal, his only surprise was that survey opposition wasn’t higher than 94%.
“The whole thing was completely out of touch,” Pelton said Tuesday. “We have a lot of other things to worry about with our budget — and not a special pet project of the governor.”
Sen. Matt Ball, a Denver Democrat whose district includes the Capitol, gave Polis kudos for backing off the project in the face of “overwhelming opposition.”
Ball had previously voted against advancing the plan in June as part of an advisory committee for Capitol projects. The survey confirmed what he thought and had been hearing from constituents and neighborhood organizations, such as Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods, opposing the project.
“I had yet to hear from someone who was in support,” Ball said. “It was all opposition.”
With the proposal in the dustbin, Polis’ office said it will “continue to work with the community on how to best celebrate” the anniversary of Colorado’s entry into the United States, as well as the country’s 250th birthday next year.
Stay up-to-date with Colorado Politics by signing up for our weekly newsletter, The Spot.
