Repairs nearly complete on Highway 115 flood damage

It’s taken as long as nine months, but several El Paso County neighborhoods are seeing the end of repair work from damage caused by flash floods late last summer.

The damage affected four communities: Rock Creek Canyon, Paseo Corto, Keeton Ranch and Turkey Caon Ranch.

El Paso County Engineer Andre Brackin said Rock Creek Canyon was “heavily damaged” by flooding from the creek and mountainsides that washed out a 700-foot section of the only road in and out of that community.

On Thursday, a work crew began repaving the road. Crews previously did emergency work to allow residents to drive in and out of the area, as well as stabilized bridges. Brackin said the work should be finished in two weeks.

He also updated the status of the other three communities.

Paseo Corto: Badly damaged by a flooded creek and runoff from Highway 115 but has been repaired. Some homeowners are making repairs on private property.

Keeton Ranch Road: A private dirt road that is out of county jurisdiction and received damage. Neighbors repaired the damage themselves with the help of free dirt from a construction company, and also used a second road for greater access to the area.

Turkey Caon Ranch Road: Some flood damage reported but Brackin said “it’s not a high priority.” The homeowners association previously said it would consider upgrading culverts at an estimated cost of $40,000.

Brackin said the county supplied materials and labor for its share of repairs but will receive a $100,000 reimbursement from the federal government.