Two major street projects in Cañon City: One finished, one halfway completed
Scott Harrison
CAÑON CITY, Colo. (KRDO) — Crews are in their third month on the city’s biggest paving job of the season, so pardon their dust.
They’re repaving a half mile of Justice Center Road, between US 50 and Grandview Lane, on the eastern edge of town.
The two-lane street was last repaved in 1998 and had shown every bit of its age, with numerous potholes, crumbling asphalt, and in some places, no sidewalks or curbs at all.
As its name denotes, the road is home to key departments such as the Cañon City police, the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office, jail and courthouse, the Department of Human Services, and several other agencies — all on the north end.
On the south end are two churches and an apartment complex.
Workers are gutting the street, removing old asphalt and concrete, and installing new curbs, gutters, and sidewalks.
The project is around halfway finished; crews have paved the southern end and are now focusing on the northern end, which also leads to a shopping center containing a movie theater.
Construction requires allowing only one lane of southbound traffic through the area, and drivers can detour east or west at the Grandview intersection.
“We’re looking at about 4 to 6 more weeks of construction,” said Leo Evans, the city’s public works director. “The job’s been going pretty well, but obviously we’re getting into the heavier impacts now that we’re working north.”
KRDO 13’s The Road Warrior spoke with several people who said that the benefits far outweigh the inconveniences.
“Potholes are all gone, and for the workers, we now have a sidewalk that we are able to utilize and take walks on, instead of on the dirt,” said Dena Lucero. “It’s wonderful!”
Cameron Wormgoor agrees.
“Just because I can’t be comfortable all the time, doesn’t mean that we don’t keep building or keep fixing what’s broken,” he said. “We invest in the future.”
The city’s other major project was a $3 million revitalization of five blocks of the historic downtown area.
That project started in February and was supposed to be completed in time for the annual Music & Blossom Festival in late April, but was slowed by numerous weather delays.
The city hopes to kick off another paving project this fall, on the north end of 9th Street; that work will continue through next June.
It will cover 1.5 miles between College Avenue and Washington Street, and include replacing part of an existing water main.
The cost could run as high as $14 million, but some of it will be covered by federal funding acquired by the city.
“We get a lot of complaints about that street,” Evans said.