Fountain erosion project nearly finished but section of Southmoor Drive to remain closed for near future
Scott Harrison
FOUNTAIN, Colo. (KRDO) — The threat of severe erosion along Fountain Creek led officials to close a section of a neighborhood street five years ago; now, neighbors wonder if the expected completion of a $6.2 million mitigation project will lead to the street’s reopening soon.
The Fountain Creek Watershed District (FCWD) has overseen the project that began last fall, to address the erosion that forced the closure of Southmoor Drive in April 2020.
Crews have smoothed out a bend in the creek below the street that caught the force of high-velocity flows, and reduced the sharp angle of slopes on the west side of it.
“It is a city responsibility to maintain the road,” said Alli Schuch, FCWD’s executive director. “And we’re super-thrilled to have partnered with them on this project. Once we are done and out of here in terms of the creek restoration project, the city can then come in and look at the next steps for the road.”
On Thursday morning, Todd Evans, Fountains deputy city manager, said that Southmoor Drive will remain closed for the near future.
“We want to give (the creek restoration) a few rainy seasons and see how it holds up,” he explained. “Sometimes, those projects work and sometimes they fail. We don’t want to waste money restoring the street if that project doesn’t work.”
Some neighbors said that they’re thrilled by the progress of the creek restoration.
“With the erosion, hoses and people were in danger,” said Laura Leedom, a bartender for American Legion Post 38, near the street closure. “And the fact that something’s being done is actually kind of nice. We’re glad that the Watershed project actually came in and took over, and did this for our community.”
Brett Taylor, who owns a motorcycle repair shop and painting business on Southmoor near the closure, is especially pleased.
The Road Warrior reported in February 2024 that the business building was only a few feet from collapsing down an eroded slope and into the creek.
“They’re doing an excellent job,” Taylor said. “I’m more than pleased that they saved my building. I’m a little disappointed they didn’t give me land back. But if it saved my building, we can deal with that later.”
He’s exploring the possibility of installing a retaining wall halfway down the slope — where his property line now is — to prevent future erosion.
Other neighbors have asked who will be responsible for maintaining the creek restoration after the project ends; Schuch said that the FCWD will continue to monitor the area for three years after the project’s completion.
“After that, we’ll have to find other funding sources,” she said.
To make driving around the street closure easier and safer, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) installed a new traffic signal and lane configuration at the intersection of Highway 85/87 and Carson Boulevard.