Sidny Zink prefers not to use the term “Bridge to Nowhere” to describe the $47 million interchange east of Durango that spans U.S. Highway 160, even though that’s how locals refer to it.
“I’m not going to say that,” she said.
But the newly appointed commissioner to the Colorado Department of Transportation also doesn’t sugarcoat the project, which has received little use since its completion in 2011, largely because it lacks a connection with U.S. Highway 550 from the south.
“There are a lot of moving parts, and on a project that big, they just didn’t all come together the way they needed to, so the funding was lost,” Zink said during an interview last week.
Zink, a Durango accountant, was appointed in August by Gov. John Hickenlooper to serve a four-year term as commissioner for CDOT’s District 8, which includes 13 counties that span west to east from Montezuma County to Costilla County, east of Alamosa.
Commissioners help prioritize which projects should receive funding in their regions and across the state. They also formulate policy related to the state’s overall transportation system and budget.
Zink replaces Durango resident Steve Parker, who served in the role for 12 years. Parker, 70, approached Zink earlier this year about filling the spot.
“I know Sidny will listen if somebody calls and has a concern, and I know she will be fair,” Parker said. “It’s good to have people with business minds on the commission.”
Commissioners help direct policy. They don’t become involved in the technical aspects of highway construction, such as selecting a contractor, deciding where to locate traffic signals and deciding whether to use asphalt or concrete, Parker said.
Transportation impacts everyone – including people who don’t drive – because everyone relies on products such as groceries that are delivered via the highways, he said.
Serving as a commissioner is more along the lines of public service than a job. Zink is paid only $150 a month plus travel expenses, and she is expected to attend two meetings per month, which are held across the state.
“It can be a little overwhelming,” she said while staring at a 400-page packet from the last meeting she attended. “But it is so interesting. There’s something about this being part of something bigger. You really feel like you’re contributing to something that is important to the whole state.”
Zink, a former Durango city councilor, said living in Southwest Colorado can feel isolating, and for that reason she likes to stay connected at the state level. She has held several leadership positions within the certified public accountant profession, including serving as past chairwoman of the 8,800-member Colorado Society of CPAs. She is an owner of FredrickZink & Associates, an accounting firm in Durango.
Serving as a CDOT commissioner gives Zink a chance to meet officials from across the state, and hopefully use those contacts to benefit the region, Zink said. When asked if it might lead to a run for state office, she said: “Whenever people talk about political aspirations on the state level, I say, ‘Not as long as I need a paycheck.’”
The commissionership, she said, “just sounded like this great way that I could play a part in the future of the state. It sounds so grandiose, but I don’t mean it to.”
Not pointing finger
While locals may joke about the Bridge to Nowhere, Zink said CDOT seized an opportunity when funding was available to build an interchange that is going to be “very cool someday.”
Because Zink is new to the job, she didn’t want to point fingers at who may have made the biggest “mistake” – a word never used publicly by CDOT officials, who prefer to describe the Grandview interchange as “ahead of its time” and having “independent utility.”
CDOT continues to work with the Webb family on a satisfactory plan to realign a 1½-mile section of Highway 550 south across a private ranch, she said. The agency also needs to complete another environmental assessment.
“That all seems to be going in a direction where it looks like there will be a resolution,” she said. “But then the hurdle is funding, and there certainly is not funding in place at this time.”
Estimates for the proposed realignment have ranged from $75 million to $125 million. The hope is to one day connect it to the Grandview interchange, which includes four bridges, six retaining walls, a roundabout, and several on- and off-ramps.
When asked if the realignment might be completed by the end of Zink’s four-year term, she said, “I wouldn’t bet on it.” But it might be possible during a second four-year term, she said.
In the meantime, Zink looks forward to the completion of other projects in the local area, including a “continuous flow intersection” near the DoubleTree. The project calls for adding a stoplight that would allow northbound traffic that wants to turn left onto U.S. Highway 160 to merge across oncoming traffic before turning left. The project eliminates a left-turn phase from the busy signal at the DoubleTree intersection.
The $5.4 million project is sure to generate head-scratching and raised eyebrows from residents, as it will be the first of its kind to be used on Colorado state highways. (The city of Loveland built one last year, and it is being used in other states.)
“It’s going to be a fairly long construction period, but when it’s done, it’s going to be so cool,” Zink said.
While it may not be possible to have four-lane highways from Durango to Farmington, Cortez and Pagosa Springs, it will be possible to add passing lanes along those corridors, which will improve safety and traffic flow, Zink said.
New way of dividing money
Unlike most state agencies, CDOT has its own budget that is not approved or controlled by the state Legislature. It spent $1.3 billion in 2013, much of which came from federal highway dollars, the gas tax, and fees from licensing and registration.
CDOT used to divvy up funds among the various regions, which created infighting among commissioners to see which district would receive the most funding for various projects. Now CDOT is adopting a more statewide perspective, whereby it uses quantitative information related to crashes, fatalities and roadway conditions to best identify where funding is needed. The agency continues to have a regional funding program, although it is smaller in scope.
Zink said she embraces the philosophical shift.
“Here I am, a Republican, being appointed by a Democratic governor,” she said. “That demonstrates the willingness to weigh attributes beyond politics.”
In the past, some commissioners have been too politically connected to the areas they represent, and they “lost sight of the greater good,” she said.
“Forgive me for using that term,” she joked. “It sounds like a Democrat. But even I can see the need to take the perspective of the greater good. It’s sometimes hard to appreciate the indirect benefits that we receive, but there are many.”
shane@durangoherald.com
