Colorado Division of Aeronautics
Colorado Division of Aeronautics is part of the Colorado Department of Transportation. The Division is located at Front Range Airport, on the northeastern edge of Aurora, Colorado.
Mission
"The Division of Aeronautics support of the Colorado Department of Transportation's development of a forward-looking multi-modal transportation system in the 21st century, the Colorado Division of Aeronautics shall promote partnering with its public and private constituents to enhance aviation safety, aviation education, and the development of an effective air transportation system through the efficient administration of the Colorado Aviation Fund."[1]
Aeronautics Board
The Division has an administrative role which supports the Colorado Aeronautical Board on issues of aviation safety. The Division is a technical advisor of government and individual aviation needs which provides entitlement reimbursements of aviation and fuel tax revenues. Where the Aeronautics Board is the decision maker. The Board provides discretionary aviation grant program and the Division maintains the state aviation system plan. Both the Board and the Division work within CDOT to support multimodal aspects of today's transportation.[2]
Pavement Evaluation and Pavement Management System
The 2009 PEPMS Update was supplied to the Division's Pavement Management System. This update included runway, taxiway, apron, and helipad pavements evaluations of Colorado airports.[3]
Discretionary aviation grant program
In 2003, legislation was signed into law by Governor Bill Owens. Senate Bill 49 continuously appropriates fuel tax dollars into the Colorado Aviation Fund. This legislation gives the Board increased abilities when dispursing discretionary grant dollars into the Colorado Airport System.
In 1991, the State Legislature channeled aviation fuel taxes to "aviation purposes". The Division of Aeronautics has reimbursed 65% of those taxes back into the Colorado airports as entitlement funds. Plus, the Board began conducting the Colorado Discretionary Grant Program (CDGP), utilizing the remaining 35% of tax revenues to serve the maintenance, capital equipment, and developmental needs of Colorado’s 79 public-use airports.[4]
