GAP TOWNS: Extra traffic packs small towns along I-25

Most drivers don’t think about the traffic until it’s too late.

With I-25 currently under construction, getting stuck in a slow-down is an all too familiar pain for drivers commuting through the 18-mile-stretch of road.

Many drivers are now opting for detours to avoid the traffic, which usually lead them through small towns.

Along I-25, drivers can pass through Palmer Lake, Larkspur, Parker, and Franktown.

Heading North on I-25, a popular detour is through Palmer Lake, just West of Monument.

It’s a small town with no chain stores and the people who live there want to keep it that way.

Betty Knect, who lives in Monument says, “my husband and I say we wish they’d close the gates and not let anybody else in.”

Spencer Boyles owns the Speedtrap, a local coffee shop and restaurant, and he says this summer has been extra busy.

He explains, “it’s always busy. I mean, especially when you get traffic in the high traffic times just cars back and forth.

The next route that drivers take is through Larkspur.

The only stop to get gas is at the Country Store along Spruce Mountain Road.

Randy Lombardo, the owner, says he can always tell when drivers have decided to get off the interstate.

“All of a sudden you’ll say ‘woah’, it’s getting a little busy. You’ll look out, and they’re lined at the stop sign, one at a time to get through,” he explains.

But he doesn’t mind the extra business.

On the Northside of I-25, most drivers in search of a detour will take Highway 83 through the town of Parker.

The town is bigger than others, and absorbs the traffic well.

Just eight miles south is Franktown, another small town.

Jason LaRosa sells produce on the side of the road and sees the backed up traffic nearly every day.

“It’ll be backed up for miles, in both directions just stop and go,” he says.

For the people who live in these towns, they’ll have to put up with the extra traffic and wait, whether that be on I-25, or in their small town traffic.