Colorado Springs wraps up tenth year of 2C paving program, prepares for next ten
Scott Harrison
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — City public works officials gathered Tuesday to reflect on the accomplishments of the 2C expanded street paving program.
Sub-freezing temperatures the past two nights arrive just as crews finish up the final projects on this year’s paving list; Tuesday’s gathering was along Flying W Ranch Road.
This marks the tenth year of the 2C program, funded by a sales tax increase approved by voters in 2015.
Former mayor John Suthers created the plan while campaigning for the first of his two consecutive terms.
While some voters thought that campaigning on a sales tax increase was political suicide, many others expressed a growing frustration with the countless potholes caused by streets crumbling from years of deferred maintenance.
In 2019, voters extended the tax for five years, and last fall, a ten-year extension passed by nearly a 3-to-1 margin.
Officials stated that in the ten years of 2C, crews have repaved 2,000 miles of lanes — nearly a third of the city’s streets.
During the next ten years, the city plans to continue its recent trend of increasing its focus on side streets, with 95% of future paving work to be in neighborhoods.
Other benefits of 2C include upgrades to the concrete framework along repaved streets — sidewalks, curbs, gutters, and ramps — to increase safety for pedestrians.
Still, some voters express dissatisfaction with 2C, feeling that it’s taking too long for their streets to be repaved.
“We do have the potential to possibly add streets or move streets again, depending on coordination,” said Corey Farkas, the city’s public works operations and maintenance manager. “But, we do ask people to let us know. Call us. Let us know. We’ve got other alternatives. If we can’t get to your road with 2C, within this particular program, we can make sure that it gets on the next program.”
As for potholes, The Road Warrior recently reported on the city hiring a dozen new public works employees who are taking advantage of recent dry weather to reduce the backlog of repair requests.