La Plata County commissioners visited a newly replaced culvert Thursday southeast of Bayfield to take stock of the first road and bridge project fully funded by a voter-approved sales tax.
Voters approved ballot initiative 1A in November, raising the county’s sale tax by 1%.
The county said it was facing a steep budget shortfall and could not properly fund road and bridge maintenance, repair and capital improvement projects. The culvert along County Road 524 is an example of what the tax measure has allowed the county to do.
The 40-year-old, 8-foot-wide culvert failed after being damaged by October flooding, said Emily Spencer, La Plata County spokesperson.
The county road and bridge department completed a self-performed project to replace it after the road was closed in January.
Because staff members did the work in-house rather than hiring a contractor, the county saved significantly on labor costs, Spencer said. The culvert itself cost roughly $22,000, and the county rented an excavator and compactor for about $5,000, bringing the total estimated cost for equipment and materials to around $30,000, she said.
The road reopened April 15. A sign designating the culvert as repaired by 1A tax money went up letting voters know how their tax dollars are being spent and to thank them, Spencer said.
“La Plata County was the only county in Colorado to pass a sales tax increase,” she said.
jbowman@durangoherald.com
