El Paso County Commissioners consider three transportation infrastructure projects Tuesday

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- Extending Powers Boulevard south to Interstate 25, using new software to better assess road conditions and upgrading 24 pedestrian crossings were on the agenda of the five El Paso County commissioners Tuesday.

The county is currently in its second week of a three-week public comment period on the proposed plan to extend Powers (State Highway 21) south; one possible connection point is just north of the Ray Nixon power plant, while the other is just south of the Pikes Peak International Raceway.

"This has been in the planning since the 1960s," said Joshua Palmer, the county's head engineer. "There's a lot of things that went into it. Current development, future development, impacts to property owners. There are impacts, but we try to minimize that as much as possible."

County officials are working with the Colorado Department of Transportation to determine the project's cost and source of funding but estimates are that the start of construction is from five to ten years away, with 2044 as the earliest completion date.

By comparison, the nearly-finished north Powers connection to I-25 cost more than $70 million.

Presently, south Powers merges with Mesa Ridge Parkway, near the boundary of Fountain and Security-Widefield.

The proposed south extension continues the effort by local leaders to make Powers the expressway they intended it to be; several overpasses have been built at key intersections, with the Research Parkway interchange completed last year and an overpass at Airport Road next on the priority list.

"It's a high priority," Palmer explained regarding the proposed extension. "We really do lack some redundant options for mobility across the county; north-south and east-west. Really, I-25 and Powers are the two biggest ones right now. So, extending Powers to the north and to the south is a high priority to support the development that we do see coming. And this is one of the rare times that we can actually get ahead of development."

Commissioners also heard the results of a yearlong study using new software that will allow the county to better assess road conditions and prioritize paving.

Finally, commissioners approved receiving $5.5 million in federal money -- combining it with a matching amount from the county -- to upgrade 24 pedestrian crossings that will meet federal disability standards.