Mayor Sweetie Marbury wants the Bridge to Nowhere linked with Wilson Gulch Road and U.S. Highway 550, and she had a sharp question for the new director of the Colorado Department of Transportation, Shailen Bhatt.
“Can you make it happen?”
Bhatt, who took over as CDOT director Monday, held a meet-and-greet at the DoubleTree Hotel on Friday as part of a whirlwind tour of the state.
Bhatt said he would try to advance the project, but was careful to not make promises.
“I will be as supportive as I can working with the (CDOT) commission,” he told Marbury.
Marbury related an emotional story in which the Bridge to Nowhere played a role. Not long ago, her granddaughter suddenly stopped breathing during the night. She raced with her son and granddaughter to Mercy Regional Medical Center for treatment.
“It was the longest ride of my life,” she said. “That bridge would have saved us time.”
Marbury calls it the “Bridge to the Future.” The connection with Highway 550 would need to go through an environmental assessment and be awarded at least $75 million in state funding.
But Bhatt made clear constituents around the state are demanding transportation funding.
“Everybody wants projects and needs projects,” he said.
The meeting drew local government, tribal and transportation officials from throughout Southwest Colorado.
Bhatt replaced Don Hunt, who is accompanying the new director on his tour around the state. Hunt is stepping down to return to his private firm, The Antero Co., and take a position as a senior fellow and lecturer at the University of Colorado, Denver, according to a news release from Gov. John Hickenlooper’s office.
Bhatt most recently led the Delaware Department of Transportation. He also served in Kentucky’s state transportation office, and in the Federal Highway Administration.
“Don Hunt has accomplished much and will be very hard to replace, but Shailen Bhatt appears to be the right person to step in and continue the strong leadership at CDOT,” said Sidny Zink, CDOT commissioner for District 8, which includes La Plata County and 12 other counties.
Bhatt said he regards himself as a public servant. He sought to draw a distinction between transportation funding and other government outlays.
“We’re not government spending,” he said. “We’re not Medicaid or Social Security – not that those aren’t important programs. It’s an investment,” he said of transportation funding.
Marbury said she was optimistic Bhatt understands our area’s concerns.
“He can’t write a check today, but he’ll be our advocate for Southwest Colorado,” she said.
cslothower@durangoherald.com
