Drivers complain of water seeping from under Dublin Boulevard in Colorado Springs; city has plan to respond
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Drivers and neighbors say that for as long as the past six months, water has been flowing from under the eastbound lanes of Dublin Boulevard, just west of Peterson Road, and they worry the situation will gradually worsen.
"It's going to be probably a bevy of accidents occurring (this winter) because ice freezing over, ice patches, maybe black ice, people not seeing it and causing a real hazard," said neighbor Wendy Truskey.
The water bubbles up from in several places and causes vehicles to splash it onto their autos, on passing autos and on the sidewalk and driveway of the adjacent Pioneer Technology & Arts Academy.
"My biggest worry is that I don't want a sinkhole," said neighbor Judy Spurgeon. "I don't know if that's a realistic concern -- but to me, it is."
More than a dozen viewers have contacted KRDO 13's The Road Warrior about the situation this summer; they say that the constant water flow has even caused potholes to form.
The water also produces a green tint -- possibly from algae -- that may be chemically reacting to the asphalt and causing the water to turn black as it drains downhill.
While some people feared that the water is coming from a water main or water line leak, Colorado Springs Utilities said that it has investigated the seepage and found it's likely coming from one of the city's many underground springs -- not from the utility's water infrastructure.
But city officials are already working on a solution.
One viewer said that after he reported the problem to public works, the staff replied that the city plans to address the plan in the Dublin Boulevard Improvements Project scheduled to start next spring.
Under the plan -- which is currently under design -- the city would widen Dublin from two to four lanes between Marksheffel Road and Fieler Drive; widen sidewalks; install a traffic signal at Issaquah Drive; and make drainage improvements aimed at controlling the flow of groundwater.
The project would cost an estimated $15 million and not be finished until the fall of 2026; revenue from the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority's one-cent sales tax would finance the improvements.
Citizens can learn more about the project and ask questions at a public open house Tuesday, from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m., at Skyview Middle School, 6350 Windom Peak Boulevard.
KRDO 13 reported on a similar situation in December 2020 when water from a spring trickled down the 8th Street Hill near Motor City, causing ice accumulations that affected traffic and made driveways difficult to access.
However, the water from that spring was in the gutter and not in the middle of the street; the city solved the problem by installing a pipe under the street which allowed water to drain to the opposite gutter that didn't have driveways and had more sunlight to prevent ice buildup.
