New King Soopers under construction in Fountain raises concern about possible traffic impacts
FOUNTAIN, Colo. (KRDO) -- Many residents of this growing town were happy when local leaders broke ground on a new King Soopers grocery store this summer and look forward to its grand opening next summer.
However, some are not excited about the additional traffic congestion they believe the supermarket will generate.
The new store is being built at the intersection of Mesa Ridge Parkway (Highway 16) and Syracuse Street -- across from Mesa Ridge High School and the relatively-new Mesa Ridge Crossing commercial development that includes a gas station/convenience store, car wash, tire store and coffee shop.
In addition to the traffic already generated by the school and businesses, Mesa Ridge Parkway is a busy corridor connecting to Interstate 25, Fort Carson, Highway 85/87 and Powers Boulevard (Highway 21).
The new grocery store development also will have several restaurants and other businesses in an area to be called the Mesa Ridge Marketplace.
Possibly contributing to more traffic is the recent opening of The Garrison, a large apartment complex north of the construction site.
"What is the evacuation plan for this area if, God forbid, there were a train derailment or a casualty event? John Cuellar asked in an email to KRDO 13's The Road Warrior. "There are very few entrances and exits to and from this grid. Emergency vehicles could be stuck and unable to enter and evacuate effectively. A mass shooter would have easy pickings, severe weather would have an effect, fires would trap people."
Tamara Estes, a Fountain city councilwoman, said that she is aware of the concern and insists that there is no reason for anyone to worry.
"There's been impacts on this road since it was built, because it's a busy thoroughfare to get to Fort Carson," she said. "So, it's always been busy. You're probably going to have some impacts, but we're hoping that the new designs are going to help us out, get it through and keep us safe."
The new designs Estes refers to are safety improvements at the intersection that the developer is paying for: New signs, traffic signals, sidewalks and crosswalks.
"Eventually, there will be other access points in and out of the Marketplace so that drivers won't have to depend just on the main intersection," she added.
Workers also are building a roundabout at the south end of Syracuse between the current and future shopping areas; Estes said that she considers the intersection businesses to be an extension of the existing shopping area several blocks east, near the intersection of Mesa Ridge and Fountain Mesa Road.
Finally, Estes said that the city is working with Widefield School District 3 on a safety study to evaluate the safety of drivers and pedestrians at the intersection.
Along with the high school, two other schools -- Webster Elementary and James Madison Charter Academy -- are in the immediate area.
