Colorado Springs kicks off tenth year of 2C taxpayer-funded street repaving program
Scott Harrison
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — The time between deciding which street to be repaved, doing the concrete work required beforehand, and then applying the new layer of asphalt can be a frustrating wait for drivers and neighbors, but brings relief and satisfaction when the work is finished.
Last week, residents in the hilly Broadmoor Bluffs neighborhood on the city’s southwest side began enjoying the benefits of freshly repaved streets.
It’s where city officials recently held a kick-off event for this year’s version of the 2C expanded street repaving effort.
Voters initially passed Question 2C in 2015; it was conceived by John Suthers, the same year that he was elected to the first of two terms as mayor.
Passage meant the approval of a sales tax increase to generate at least $50 million annually for expanded repaving; voter approval was fueled by many citizen complaints about poor street conditions, numerous potholes and vehicle damage.
Voters renewed the tax in 2020 and again last year, this time for a ten-year extension.
“I want to take a second to thank our residents for our recent passing of a ten-year extension of the program,” said Richard Mulledy, the city’s public works director. “And that’s a huge thing for our city. It will provide the funding for 2C to continue to pave roads like this, and continue to improve our infrastructure in people’s neighborhoods and along our mainline infrastructure.”
During the previous nine years of 2C, many citizens criticized the program for not paving enough streets, not paving them quickly enough, not spending tax revenue wisely, and questioning the method by which officials decide which streets to prioritize.
Brian Wilson, the program manager for 2C, insists that the city is doing the best it can.
“The 2C program focuses on roads that are between a 30 and a 70 OCI (Overall Condition Index) value because those are roads that have significant distress that need addressing, but still meet criteria to not be a full re-constructive effort that costs a lot of money,” he explained.
Some citizens are disappointed that the increased paving has yet to result in a significant decrease in potholes; crews patched 94,000 last year.
However, officials have routinely said that they are still catching up on years of deferred street maintenance, and that they’re also coping with the addition of more streets resulting from continued growth.
Becca Gurney Powe lives in the Broadmoor Bluffs.
“There’s freezing and melting, and it just tears large pockets of paving away,” she said. “It’s a mess. We’re grateful to having the roads repaved up here.”
To see the streets on this year’s paving list, visit: https://coloradosprings.gov/system/files/2025-01/2025%202C%20Paving%20List.pdf.