(1) A preexisting or new toll road or toll highway company shall not commence the construction of a toll road or toll highway or of any other element of a toll road or toll highway project until the toll road or toll highway or other element has been reviewed by every metropolitan planning organization or regional planning commission that is located in whole or in part within the three-mile corridor designated by the preexisting toll road or toll highway company as required by section 7-45-101 (1) before June 2, 2008, or that is located in whole or in part within the proposed route of the toll road or toll highway proposed by the new toll road or toll highway company and has been included in the regional transportation plan in effect for the region pursuant to section 43-1-1103, C.R.S., and in the comprehensive statewide transportation plan required pursuant to section 43-1-1103 (5), C.R.S. In designated nonattainment areas for any pollutant pursuant to the federal "Clean Air Act", 42 U.S.C. sec. 7401 et seq., as amended, a metropolitan planning organization or regional planning commission shall not include a toll road or toll highway project in the regional transportation plan unless the organization or commission has performed an emissions analysis that demonstrates that regional emissions and local project emissions will continue to conform to the state implementation plan if the project is added to the regional transportation plan. The toll road or toll highway company shall pay the reasonable actual costs for the emissions analysis. Each organization or commission may condition its addition of a toll road or toll highway project into the regional transportation plan upon acceptable environmental mitigation activities and commitments to offset incremental costs of public services that will be necessary as a result of development of the project within the planning region.
At least thirty days before a metropolitan planning organization or regional planningcommission may amend its regional transportation plan pursuant to subsection (1) of this section, a toll road or toll highway company shall provide the organization or commission information on the toll road or toll highway project being considered for addition to the plan that includes the final environmental documentation required by section 7-45-106 (1)(b)(IV), the operating plan for the project, the technology to be utilized, an assessment of project feasibility, and an assessment of the long-term viability of the project.
(a) At the discretion of a metropolitan planning organization or regional planning commission, a regional plan may initially be amended to include only environmental and preconstruction activities, excluding right-of-way acquisition, relating to a toll road or toll highway project and may later be amended to include actual construction and right-of-way acquisition of the project following agreement by the metropolitan planning organization or regional planning commission that acceptable environmental mitigation activities and commitments to offset incremental costs of public services are included in the project plans.
(b) Upon request of a local government located in whole or in part within the three-mile corridor of a proposed toll road or toll highway or toll road or toll highway project specified and mapped by a preexisting toll road or toll highway company in its filed formation document as required by section 7-45-101 (1) before June 2, 2008, or located in whole or in part within the proposed route of a toll road or toll highway proposed by a new toll road or toll highway company, a preexisting or new toll road or toll highway company shall consult with representatives from the local government and shall consider available mitigation of demonstrable negative impacts on the local government or its citizens that would result from the construction, operation, or financing of the toll road or toll highway or project.
Source: L. 2006: Entire article R&RE, p. 1763, § 1, effective June 6. L. 2008: (1) and (3)(b) amended, p. 1709, § 5, effective June 2.