Grand Junction's New DMV Rollout Brings Big Changes

We all rushed to the Grand Junction DMV office before the closure to take care of last-minute needs, and we can’t wait to go back to see what’s new. In Colorado, government upgrades may not always be front-page news, but our local DMV modernization might be one of the most impactful changes to daily life this year.

After shutting down briefly in February for staff to train on a new statewide DMV system, Grand Junction’s office is back with shorter lines and smarter options for drivers.

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Background — Why the DMV Closed in the First Place

So, what happened during the closure? Our friends in the Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles had to take several services online to implement a major digital modernization. From February 13 to 17, online services like myDMV were unavailable. The whole effort was intended to replace outdated systems with a user-friendly interface for drivers in the Centennial State.

What’s New: DMV Technology Enhancements

At the heart of the tech changes is the upgrade to the centerpiece myDMV platform. The service now offers a secure customer portal you can use to manage your license, registration, and personal account details. The upgrade has increased Colorado’s cybersecurity protection, making address changes and driver record requests faster and easier than ever on mobile devices and computers alike.

Local Impact & Long‑Term Benefits

Who is ready to get a new license so you can see the new facility? With the Mesa County DMV reopened, there will be a transition period. Long term, the upgrade will eventually make lines shorter, make online services more reliable, and put you in charge of DMV transactions, which aligns with state-wide efforts to modernize more public services.

LOOK: See How Much Gasoline Cost the Year You Started Driving

To find out more about how has the price of gas changed throughout the years, Stacker ran the numbers on the cost of a gallon of gasoline for each of the last 84 years. Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (released in April 2020), we analyzed the average price for a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline from 1976 to 2020 along with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for unleaded regular gasoline from 1937 to 1976, including the absolute and inflation-adjusted prices for each year.

Read on to explore the cost of gas over time and rediscover just how much a gallon was when you first started driving.

Gallery Credit: Sophia Crisafulli

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Gallery Credit: Wes Adams