Promoted

Right now Denver's bond includes just $30.7 million dollars for sidewalks, meaning KC's bond outspends Denver's 5 to 1 on the most basic form of transportation infrastructure.

When State Senator Ray Scott is done with bikes, perhaps he can introduce a tax on shoes.

To have the Post tell it, widening an interstate through city neighborhoods is actually a community connector, a jobs program, an affordable housing solution, an investment in our children, and a boon for outdoor recreation. That must be why so many cities are solving their problems these days by spending billions of dollars on traffic-generating, sprawl-inducing highway expansion projects.

The allocation to sidewalks might be less of a problem if Denver had a policy and a funding stream that treated sidewalks as fundamental infrastructure instead of a special treat for lucky neighborhoods. But that's not the case.

The report, which examined the turn-of-the-century expansion of I-25 known as T-REX, says that these managed lanes would expand the capacity of the corridor for everyone while providing a "congestion-free" option for drivers and better transit for people who don't drive — without a widening that would be financially and physically impossible.

This development is significant for two reasons.

Mayor Michael Hancock finalized his preferences for what he wants to see funded by a bond initiative heading to voters in November, and a lot of good walking, biking, and transit projects made the cut. So did $101 million for long-neglected road maintenance — about 24 percent of all transportation funding on the list.

The Sierra Club, Elyria and Swansea Neighborhood Association, Chaffee Park Neighborhood Association, and the Colorado Latino Forum claim that pollution from the traffic-inducing project will violate the Clean Air Act.

Perhaps most importantly, a Denver DOT elevates transport to the city-building puzzle piece that it is. Urban transportation affects the economy, housing, and affordability. It should not revolve around fixing potholes.