Road conditions concern drivers

Cruising the open road. Is there anything better than classic Harley Davidson motorcycle?

Not for Rob Burns. “I probably do 20 (thousand) to 30,000 miles per year,” he said.

He plans to get a lot of use out of it this summer.

“We just picked this (motorcycle) up, so it needs to be ridden,” he said.

But one thing can stand in the way, holes in the road.

“I drive a really small car – a little Subaru – and the potholes really drive me nuts,” said Cassandra McKittrick of Cripple Creek.

The problem isn’t simply potholes, it’s rock slides.

And a crumbling retaining wall along Serpentine Drive in Manitou Springs.

The westbound entrance to Highway 24 from Business 24 remains closed. The big question is how it will affect the visitors who come to Manitou Springs.

Joe Petrick is here from Ohio. He had just finished a shopping trip to Manitou when we caught up with him and his family.

“The weather is very pleasant. We’re going to Garden of the Gods,” he said.

He says Southern Colorado isn’t the only place where the roads are not exactly in pristine condition.

“We’ve come to expect not perfect roads, but they’re all passable,” he said.

Still, more rock slides are a concern, especially if the rain continues.

It’s a big concern for Burns.

“Those burn-out areas, it’s something to watch out for. Those rocks on the road are as bad as snow,” he said.

Like everyone else, he’s hoping for a smooth ride this summer.

As for the problems along Highway 24 and Business 24, the Colorado Department of Transportation has placed monitors on the retaining wall at Serpentine Drive where it meets Business 24.

The road is expected to reopen as soon as the movement stops.