CDOT's portion of the surplus is expected to bounce back after next year. Construction on the Southeast Corridor project was scheduled to begin next summer. To keep the Southeast Corridor project on track, the state Legislature could divert money to the transportation department, or some bonds could be sold ahead of schedule to make up for the shortfall, Groff said. But deciding what to do will take time, and that worries people who have spent years urging businesses along the Southeast Corridor to get their employees out of the I-25 rush hour before the construction begins. Passage of Amendment 23 could derail that effort, she said.
Businesses deal with things in a certain priority.
If that urgency disappears, the people, resources and funding for that priority could also disappear. Joanna Barry, human resources director for Information Handling Services Group Inc. in the Inverness office park, said her company's plans to offer RTD eco-passes, van pools, telecommuting and flex time to its 1,200 employees were accelerated by the pending Southeast Corridor project. Delaying the Southeast Corridor project probably won't affect any of those programs, she said. It's a recruitment and retention tool. I don't think you can be competitive in this labor environment without offering those kind of alternatives.