TransportationTop story
Voters along the tracks approved Ballot Issue 7A, the tax behind the Colorado Connector rail line to Pueblo
Early returns showed 55.1% of voters saying yes to 7A
Source: The Gazette
View as table
| Amount | Share | |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 55.1% | 55.1% |
| No | 44.9% | 44.9% |
If you've ever wished for a train to Denver, you just got closer. Voters in the 29 municipalities and seven metropolitan districts along the tracks approved a tax increase for the Colorado Connector, or "CoCo," planned from Fort Collins to Pueblo. Ballot Issue 7A, a 0.333% sales and use tax, showed it passing in the initial tally and was leading by over 90,000 votes as of 5 p.m. Wednesday, and district officials declared victory.
- Not taxed: food, prescription drugs, medical supplies, gasoline, home electricity and gas
- Planned return to communities: about $55 million a year, 25 years
- Still to do: BNSF agreements, engineering designs, final approvals
General Manager Sal Pace said the result means "we're going to be connecting all of Colorado instead of allowing division to define us." Board chair John Putnam said early work would focus on the federally required signal system, plus railroad crossings and basic platforms.
The Colorado Connector by the numbers
- 12
- communities connected, Fort Collins to Pueblo
- 190 miles
- of track in the planned network
- 10
- daily round trips planned at most
- 0.333%
- sales and use tax in Ballot Issue 7A
Sources: FOX21 News Colorado, CBS Colorado
