A new driver's license office opened in Colorado Friday.

Gov. Bill Ritter cut the ribbon, celebrating the grand opening in Loveland. The Loveland location is the first of three new offices that will open in the coming weeks, thanks to legislation adopted and signed into law last year.

The other offices will be in Golden and northeast Denver, near Adams County.

“We’ve all heard or personally felt the frustration of long lines and long wait times at driver’s license offices around the state, and since government should be a customer-oriented operation, opening these new offices will begin to restore much-needed services to the customers of Colorado. I’m pleased we are able to make this a reality,” Gov. Ritter said.

The Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles has closed the Loveland office more than five years ago in 2002, due to a budget crisis. This in turn led to the closing of 25 other driver’s license offices across the state.

In its last year of operation, the Loveland office processed nearly 24,000 driver’s licenses and identification cards for Colorado citizens. When the Loveland office closed, those customers were sent to other offices in other communities.

“We have already launched a program to allow for the online renewal of driver’s licenses,” Department of Revenue Executive Director Huber said. “And we will continue to invest in better technology to improve our efficiency.”