COLORADO SPRINGS, CO – Dozens of people gathered at Library 21C Tuesday night to hear preliminary plans and to provide input on future expansion of Interstate 25 between Castle Rock and Monument. The Colorado Department of Transportation hosted the event, marking the first large-scale public forum on what many perceive as an urgent need to modernize the 18-mile stretch of highway.
Attendees were able to ask one-on-one questions of various CDOT representatives regarding everything from funding to environmental impacts. The section is referred to as “The Gap” by CDOT, owing to the fact that it is the only remaining four-lane section of I-25 from Denver to Colorado Springs. Interstate expansion projects in both Denver and Colorado Springs over the past decade have exacerbated the bottleneck effect from Palmer Divide Road in Monument to Plum Creek Parkway in Castle Rock. Accidents, inclement weather, and high traffic volume on weekends often bring traffic to a crawl for hours. “It’s not wide enough,” said Lenore Swain of Pine Creek. “The traffic is horrendous.”
Although funding is in place for two simultaneous environmental impact assessments to pave the way for construction, a funding for actual construction has not yet been determined. Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers, who successfully campaigned to get a voter-approved sales tax implemented for road improvements in the city, says multiple funding sources are possible. “Gas tax, property tax, sales tax, registration fees,” Suthers said. Suthers and other leaders in El Paso and Douglas Counties say public pressure on legislative representatives at the State Capitol to secure a funding source is crucial.
Detailed information on the project can be found at http://www.codot.gov/projects/I25COSDEN. Another public meeting on the project is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. Thursday at the Douglas County Fairgrounds in Castle Rock.
