Groundbreaking expected this summer on $40 million Powers/Research project
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- El Paso County commissioners expressed their pleasure Tuesday that a major local transportation has overcome delays and funding issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The project to build an overpass at Powers Boulevard -- to be placed above Research Parkway at that busy interchange -- has been one of the Colorado Department of Transportation's highest priorities for several years.
Construction was supposed to start last summer until the pandemic hit, but is now scheduled to begin this summer and take two years to complete.
CDOT spokeswoman Michelle Peulen said the project had to be re-funded after it was place "on hold" last summer.
"Over the holidays, the (federal) COVID stimulus package included funds for transportation," she said. "$137 million came to Colorado, of which $25.5 million came to southeastern Colorado. All of that will go toward the $40 million project, with CDOT's budget picking up the rest."
Peulen said the project also includes re-designing Research at the interchange to make it a "diverging diamond" traffic flow -- similar to the flow at the Interstate 25/Fillmore Street interchange.
"We've seen long travel times waiting for that light (at Powers/Research) and heavy congestion," she said. "Crashes just make congestion worse. The diverging diamond will help ease that. It also will increase safety for pedestrians and cyclists crossing there."
The Powers/Research interchange is the only one between Woodmen Road and Highway 83, on the city's northeast side, that doesn't have an overpass. South of Woodmen, only the Platte Avenue interchange has an overpass.
"The long-range outlook for Powers is still for it to be as originally intended -- a non-signalized freeway," Peulen said. "But you're talking about $40 million per interchange and the funding isn't available yet."
She said the area's next high-priority project is replacing asphalt with concrete on I-25 between South Academy Boulevard and Fountain, which will happen this year as part of a multi-phased effort to improve transportation safety and mobility around local military installations.
County Commissioner Holly Williams said when it comes to future projects, many will focus improving Powers because it is the second-busiest corridor behind I-25.
"It will take quite some time to reach a goal of getting Powers to where we need it to be," she said. "There have been some creativity on the part of developers, sometimes, to help us get there."
One developer is partially covering the cost of another long-awaited project -- connecting the north end of Powers to I-25. However, no funding is available yet for the segment that would extend Powers to Voyager Parkway.
