Colorado Springs, El Paso County nearing agreement on repairing, maintaining, upgrading 55 traffic signals

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- The City Council gave tentative approval Monday to a proposed agreement with the city and El Paso County regarding responsibility for 55 traffic signals owned by the county.

Gayle Sturdivant, the city's acting public works director, said that the signals are within the city's urban interface -- in other words, close to the city limits.

Under the agreement, the city agrees to maintain, repair and upgrade the county signals as necessary.

Similar to an agreement recently passed by the city and county regarding the cleanup of homeless camps, the signal agreement would allow the city to address issues more quickly and efficiently.

"It puts those signals under a single operational control and provides more consistency for residents," Sturdivant explained in a presentation to the Council. "People don't know if a signal is owned by the city, the county or (the state). They just want it fixed if it goes out."

The county will reimburse the city $194,000 for repairs and maintenance next year, and pay a one-time cost of $234,000 for the city to upgrade signals when needed.

The city already has a similar agreement for 76 signals owned by the Colorado Department of Transportation; the city itself owns 606 signals.

The agreement also includes the city hiring two additional technicians for the maintenance and repair staff.

City Council members expect to vote on the agreement with the county in two weeks.