Left turns from Platte Ave. to Nevada Ave. now illegal in downtown Colorado Springs

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- A new traffic configuration at a busy and historic downtown intersection will likely confuse or frustrate many drivers in the beginning.

After the possibility was first raised a year ago, the city’s traffic engineering department has decided to prohibit left turns from Platte Avenue onto Nevada Avenue, under the the statue of city founder Gen. William Jackson Palmer in the middle of the intersection.

Drivers wasted no time reacting to the change, expressing mixed feelings.

"I do not like this,” said Josh Lenn. “This is a main road. We need to be turning left here. This statue needs to stay, though."

Solomon Pratt watched the intersection from his pretzel stand nearby.

"I think (the change is) going to help keep pedestrians safe,” he said. “I do like it. It may be an inconvenience, but what's the problem, keeping people safe?"

“No Left Turn” signs were installed Wednesday, but many drivers continued illegal turns at the intersection — either accidentally or intentionally.

City officials said that they made the change to increase safety at the intersection which doesn’t have dedicated left-turn lanes on Platte and often leaves turning drivers in tight spaces, peeking around the statue’s base for a better view of traffic.

“The number of left turns at this intersection are very small," said Todd Frisbie, city traffic engineer. "So, you have a smaller number of left turns resulting in a higher-than-expected number of crashes. So that’s the main reason why we made this change.”

Frisbee said that the decision was based on data gathered between 2015 and 2019; it counted 21 crashes resulting in 12 people injured.

“That data was part of a study that we completed last year,” he explained.

Since the statue — which has been at the intersection since the 1920s — can’t be moved without a public vote , drivers must either get used to the change or find another route through the area.

“But this isn’t necessarily a permanent change,” Frisbee added. “We’ll re-evaluate it at some point to see how it works.”

He also said that a roundabout for the intersection is “a great idea, but takes it would take time to implement and would be costly.”

Finally, Frisbie warned drivers that there will be increased police enforcement at the intersection, which also is between Acacia Park and Palmer High School.