Title
Update from El Paso County and consultants on the West Avenue Action Plan (WAAP) project to improve West Colorado Avenue from 31st Street to U.S. 24 Interchange.
Presenter:
Kathleen Krager, Transportation Manager
Body
Summary:
This is an update on the project to improve West Colorado Avenue from 31st Street to U.S. 24 Interchange.
Previous Council Action:
N/A
Background:
For many years Colorado Avenue/Manitou Avenue between 31st Street and US 24 has suffered from poor infrastructure and failing local economy. The area has become known as no-man's land due to a confusing combination of jurisdictions. The roadway itself was a State Highway which crisscrossed three jurisdictions: City of Colorado Springs, City of Manitou Springs, and El Paso County. The jurisdictions became an area planning study in 2012 to bring infrastructure improvements to the street and improve the economic outlook for the area. The study included an extensive public input process and resulted in a recommendation to reconstruct the road to a three-lane cross section which includes a center left turn lane, bike lanes, and sidewalk. The Colorado Department of Transportation also devolved the roadway to El Paso County, giving future control of the road to the local jurisdictions.
El Paso County, City of Manitou Springs, and City of Colorado Springs are financially participating in a PPRTA project to design and construct the improvements on Colorado Avenue/Manitou Avenue. This $15M project is being funded with $12M of PPRTA funds and $3M of State Highway funds. Final design is nearing completion. The presentation at Council will be to discuss the details of the design as well as the construction schedule.
This project supports the City Strategic Goal of Investing in Infrastructure, by repairing a dilapidated road that does not have adequate sidewalks. The reconstruction of this road is also a joint project between neighboring jurisdictions w...
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