Colorado Springs launches street paving season; Circle Drive top priority

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- As city officials prepare to hold their annual kick-off to the street paving season, at least two projects have already begun.

This year's highest priority is Circle Drive, arguably the most criticized street -- and the one most needing new asphalt pavement -- in town.

Circle is a major thoroughfare that extends seven miles through the middle of the city, between Fillmore Street and Interstate 25.

According to message boards along the work zone, preparations began Sunday at the south end of the street, near the recently completed project to replace four aging bridges.

Crews are currently using machines for the milling process of scraping off the old pavement.

Normally, the grinding of worn-out asphalt turns the material into gravel-like debris, but the Circle pavement has deteriorated so much that it comes off in large chunks.

A fleet of dump trucks hauls the material away, and a new asphalt layer will follow soon after.

In the spring of 2024 -- at the start of the bridge project -- potholes were so bad on Circle between Monterey Road and Fountain Boulevard that the city had to perform emergency work to pave over the potholes instead of patching them.

Even now, some residents can't quite believe the paving process has actually begun.

"Immediately, I said No, no, they're not," said Max Fershin. "Just because it feels like whenever they're doing work on it, they're just out there. No offense to the guys, of course. But it just seems like nothing ever really gets done."

He's a believer now, after seeing the milling process on Circle.

"In my head, I thought I'll believe it when I see it," said Joanie Chapman. "And today, I was driving, and I actually saw it. So, yay! Yay for the city!"

The city will pave the northern three miles and the southern three miles of Circle; the mile between Platte Avenue and Airport Road is in good condition and doesn't require repaving.

In another project reported last week by KRDO 13's The Road Warrior, the city on Monday expected to finish paving Glen Avenue, a street covering several blocks between Uintah Street and the north entrance to Monument Valley Park.

A city spokesman said that the avenue was initially on next year's paving list, but was moved up because of the street's poor condition and constant complaints about it.

This marks the 11th year of the city's 2C expanded paving program, funded by a voter-approved sales tax increase in 2015 and since extended by voters.