West side Pueblo residents express concerns about development as two projects to improve transportation begin this year
Scott Harrison
PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) — Around 40 neighbors on the city’s northwest side recently attended a public meeting to learn more about two upcoming projects designed to improve travel there.
KRDO 13’s The Road Warrior first reported on the projects in early December: An extension of Sun Mountain Boulevard, north from 24th to 31st streets; and building or repairing 68 bus stops.
Many residents are glad to hear of the projects starting later this year and continuing through next year, at a total cost of nearly $17 million.
Officials have said that the West Side has long been underdeveloped because of travel challenges, including many streets that don’t connect, a creek, and physical barriers such as railroad tracks and a mesa that physically separate the community in half.
However, now that the city is determined to improve transportation there, some neighbors at the public meeting wondered whether the upgrades would lead to too much development.
“A great meeting,” said Andrew Hayes, the city’s public works director. Got lots of feedback and comments. And it was good to be able to kind of bring people up to speed. They’ve been hearing about the project for a long time. They’ve seen some work going on. But it was good to get them brought up to speed.”
What would make travel through the West Side even better — but also make it more ripe for development — is the city’s future goal of building a bridge on 24th Street that would rise above the physical barriers mentioned above.
Currently, the only routes across the West side are at a train crossing on 29th Street and a bridge on 18th Street.
Another significant project is winding down at the intersection of 24th Street and Pueblo Boulevard; that’s where Pueblo County is making upgrades as part of the construction of a new jail and the Medal of Honor Boulevard that would give the area its first direct link between the West Side and Pueblo West.
Gregory George, the county’s public works director, explained that the project included a new wastewater system, stormwater improvements, water service line, and fiber optics.
“Additionally, there is work that needs to be completed in the median to build the intersection,” he said. “There was a two-month delay on the concrete paving work along the shoulder of both sides of Pueblo Boulevard due to quality issues with the concrete material and workmanship. The median work could not be done until the traffic control devices could be moved to accommodate the median work.”
As for Medal of Honor Boulevard, George said that the project’s contractor expects to finish by the end of March.
There’s also a new fire station on 24th Street, a few blocks west of the Pueblo Boulevard intersection.
No dates have been announced for the start of the Sun Mountain Boulevard and bus stop projects.