Public meeting held Thursday night to update Powers Boulevard extension in north Colorado Springs
Scott Harrison
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — The project to extend Powers Boulevard north to Interstate 25 started in 2019 and likely won’t be finished until 2030 at the earliest, officials have said.
Citizens had the opportunity to ask questions and receive an update on the project at a 90-minute public meeting held on Thursday evening at Discovery Canyon High School.
“Mostly, we’ve seen a lot of feedback that has said Thank goodness, it’s about time it’s happening,” said Gayle Sturdivant, the city’s deputy public works director. “And we hear that a lot every day. But for the most part, it’s just really been more minor questions about what’s going on. It hasn’t been really anything specific, other than it’s about time this last segment of Powers is getting constructed.”
The remaining phase of the project involves extending Powers two miles through the Flying Horse subdivision and connecting to the previously built extension between Voyager Parkway and I-25.
Part of that phase also includes a noise study to determine current and future traffic noise levels and consider possible mitigation strategies.
“Just doing a comparison,” Sturdivant explained. “One, to see if there are noise impacts on the adjacent residents. And two, if they meet the primary criteria — which are feasibility and reasonableness. So, many steps happen. What we’re really kicking off today is just the testing.”
A key component of the Powers connection was finished in late March with the completion of the Voyager Parkway bridge, which will rise above the end of the Powers extension when it arrives.
The bridge construction was delayed four months after several frustrating delays that included weather impacts and relocating a utility line linked to the Air Force Academy.
Existing ramps already connect to I-25 between both ends of Spectrum Loop, which served as the primary detour during bridge construction.
The Copper Ridge Metro District is fronting the cost of the project through property tax revenue from surrounding commercial businesses and several apartment complexes.
The district also financed the earlier two-year project to connect the north end of the Powers Boulevard extension to I-25; the Voyager bridge and the Spectrum Loop bridge cross over that extension and were built by the district.
Revenue from the penny sales tax of the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority will reimburse the district.
Sturdivant said that because of the district agreeing to front construction costs, the project is actually ahead of schedule.
The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is a partner in the project.