As a small business owner in Colorado’s construction industry, I’ve spent decades working alongside contractors and subcontractors who build the roads we drive on, the schools we send our kids to, and the businesses that fuel our economy. At Delta Drywall, we know firsthand how public infrastructure projects keep local companies busy, create good-paying jobs, and strengthen communities across our state.
That’s why I’m proud to support the One Big Beautiful Bill. This legislation isn’t just a tax package — it’s a lifeline for Colorado’s subcontractors and a major investment in the future of our local infrastructure.
One of the most important pieces of this bill is how it strengthens the Highway Trust Fund, the critical federal funding source for road and bridge projects nationwide. For too long, the trust fund has faced uncertainty, leaving states like Colorado waiting on unreliable federal dollars to repair highways, widen rural roads, and modernize infrastructure. This bill provides new resources and stability for the fund ensuring that infrastructure projects can move forward without delay, and that subcontractors like drywall crews, electricians, and concrete companies have steady work.
For years, the Highway Trust Fund has teetered on the edge of insolvency, made worse by outdated funding mechanisms that haven’t kept pace with the demands on our roads. The One Big Beautiful addresses that problem head-on by redirecting revenues from unused COVID-era funds and creating new federal fees on electric vehicles to provide a fresh infusion of dollars into the trust fund.
It also modernizes the funding formula to ensure states like Colorado — with growing populations and aging infrastructure — get a fairer share of the pot. That means more dollars for projects like Interstate 70 improvements through Glenwood Canyon, the long-needed expansion of US-85 in Weld County, and safety upgrades to rural roads that support our state’s agriculture and energy economies.
Just as important, it opens up the door to new projects across Colorado — such as bridge replacements in Pueblo County, resurfacing and widening Highway 50 in Otero County, and long-overdue maintenance on key mountain corridors like US-285.
In the Denver metro area, it could help accelerate long-discussed expansions of Interstate 270 and Interstate 225 to ease congestion and improve freight movement. These are the kinds of projects that not only modernize our transportation systems but keep Colorado subcontractors like drywall crews, concrete teams, electricians, and framers employed year-round.
When federal infrastructure dollars flow reliably, it benefits more than just highway contractors. It supports the small, local subcontractors who take on everything from bridge railings and retaining walls to electrical systems and interior work on public projects. In my business, those projects help keep our crews on job sites and paychecks in the hands of local workers.
The bill also delivers tax relief for small businesses like mine. By lowering federal tax rates for pass-through businesses and expanding deductions for equipment, vehicles, and operational costs, it allows companies to invest in their teams, upgrade equipment, and weather tough times like inflation and labor shortages.
On top of that, the One Big Beautiful Bill cuts red tape, simplifying the permitting process for infrastructure projects. Too often, subcontractors are forced to sit idle while bureaucratic delays stall projects. Streamlining these approvals means faster job starts, steadier work, and less wasted time and money for businesses like ours.
This legislation represents the kind of practical, pro-growth policy our industry and our state need. It’s not about partisan politics — it’s about keeping Coloradans working and making sure our infrastructure is safe, modern, and built to last. Subcontractors, suppliers, and tradesmen across Colorado are ready to get to work — and this bill clears the path for us to do just that.
Rusty Plowman is the owner of Delta Drywall, a commercial subcontractor based in Colorado, as well as the Past President of ASA Colorado and Past President of ASA National.
Sign up for Sound Off to get a weekly roundup of our columns, editorials and more.
To send a letter to the editor about this article, submit online or check out our guidelines for how to submit by email or mail.