Neighborhood street with new bridge scheduled to open Monday for first time since last fall
Scott Harrison
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — The latest phase in the $11 million Park Vista drainage improvements project will allow traffic to resume on a street that’s been closed since last October.
The closure of a block of Hopeful Drive was to replace a bridge over Templeton Gap Creek, and dry weather helped crews finish the project two months early.
One neighbor turned the event into a part, attaching celebratory balloons to the bridge and handing out cupcakes.
A city release issued on Friday afternoon announced the street’s reopening but did not indicate a specific time.
The new bridge is part of the larger drainage project designed to eliminate flash flooding and erosion west, to the Academy Boulevard/Austin Bluffs Parkway intersection.
Another intersection nearby, at Siferd Boulevard and Date Street, was part of a low-water crossing that flooded during heavy rain events and occasionally required firefighters to rescue drivers and passengers trapped in the high water.
For a short time before the Park Vista project began, the city installed gates at the intersection that would be temporarily closed by firefighters during flash flood warnings.
At times, flash flooding also over-topped the new Hopeful Drive bridge — flooding the street and some adjacent homeowners’ property.
The city said that new sidewalks on the bridge will remain closed until crews can install railings, but a temporary pedestrian bridge slightly north of the new bridge remains open.
The closure meant a longer detour for drivers because it cut off the direct route to Doherty High School and numerous businesses along Austin Bluffs.
As KRDO 13’s The Road Warrior first reported in late 2024, part of the Park Vista west of Hopeful was an enclave — a section of El Paso County surrounded by city jurisdiction.
After years of uncertainty about which entity was responsible for addressing flooding and drainage, the city and county agreed to split the $11 million project cost, and the city annexed the area from the county.
In the floodway south of the new bridge, crews are widening the channel to increase its capacity and adding drop structures and erosion control materials.
The goal is to slow the velocity of water during storm events that could threaten safety and property damage.
The Siferd/Date intersection is now closed and has been replaced by three cul-de-sacs, allowing the creek to flow safely between them.
Other improvements include a new stormwater channel and several speed bumps south of the Hopeful bridge.
Repaving crumbling streets around the project will be the final step before the project ends later this year.
Next year, affected neighbors expect to learn whether the improved floodplain will reduce their costs for flood insurance.