Three-week closure of segment of south Marksheffel Road project begins Monday

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- A popular southeast-side commuter route will be closed until early June because of a $1 million widening project as part of a 2,000-unit housing development scheduled to start this year.

"We're using proceeds from the sale of bonds to build roads, utilities, parks and drainage infrastructure," said Kevin Walker, manager of the Bradley Heights Metropolitan District.

Starting Monday, a two-mile stretch of Marksheffel Road -- between Bradley Road and Fontaine Boulevard -- will close to allow for the project.

The city's head traffic engineer said that the closure will permit the widening project to proceed faster, provide better safety for workers and improve infrastructure in the area before 2,000 homes are built on the west side of the road over the next five to ten years.

The only detour is a drive of several miles west to Powers Boulevard; some residents have mixed feelings about the project, saying that they should have been told about it sooner.

"I don't like it," said Vanessa Higbee. "It kind of feels like the same logic when they built Lorson Ranch (nearby) because there's really only one way in and out. There and here, you have drive through almost the entire subdivision to get in or out. It's a hassle."

However, her next-door neighbor, Tonya Boyd, approves of the project.

"With all of the houses they're going to build, it makes sense to take care of the infrastructure now, and not wait until after the houses are built," she said. "A better road helps everyone, eventually."

While some residents worry that the project will increase traffic congestion on the Powers detour, city traffic engineer Todd Frisbie said that Powers can handle the additional vehicles and the length of traffic signals will be changed, if needed, to accommodate the extra traffic.

"It's a detour and there's going to be impact on the flow of their commute time," he said. "But I ask that you be patient. This is temporary, and we'll do our best in terms of operating traffic signals to accommodate the flow of traffic the best we can."

There are no businesses and only one existing housing subdivision along the project route; those residents won't be able to travel north on Marksheffel to reach Bradley, but can use existing access to and from Fontaine.