D-49 charter school in Colorado Springs area receives safety benefits from summer repaving project by El Paso County
Scott Harrison
EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — The Rocky Mountain Classical Academy, finishing its second week back to school, has a new crosswalk and other safety upgrades provided by a summer resurfacing project on the street in front of the school.
Crews repaved a mile of Antelope Ridge Drive — just west of Marksheffel Road, on the eastern border of Colorado Springs — between North Carefree Circle and Barnes Road.
A county spokesman said that workers patched potholes and sealed pavement cracks before applying a slurry-seal treatment to smooth the road, as well as modifying pavement striping and installing school zone lights.
Traffic at the start and end of the school day, however, still backs up along the two-lane road leading to the District 49 school.
Some parents told KRDO 13’s The Road Warrior that they have mixed feelings about whether the upgrades have made a significant difference in pedestrian safety and traffic flow.
“The traffic is worse than it ever was,” said Janella Prather, who lives in the neighborhood east of the school. “Parents who drop their kids off are completely inconsiderate. If I had known this would be turned into a school zone, I wouldn’t have bought a house here. And we were given no notification about this.”
Tom Vaupel, a homeowner on Lost Pony Place in a residential area a block south of the school, said that the project hasn’t solved the longstanding problem of traffic congestion caused by parents dropping off and picking up their kids to avoid congestion in front of the school.
“It’s been an issue since I moved here in 2016,” he explained. “We have people blocking driveways, parking in front of fire hydrants and stop signs, even parking their cars to walk to the school. There have been quite a few confrontations because of it. I wish the school would do something about it.”
The Road Warrior has reached out to the school administration for comment and is awaiting a response.
The paving project included several pull-over areas near the front of the school — for quick and convenient student pickup and drop-off — but some parents said that either they’re not used enough, or there aren’t enough of them to make a difference.
“If people actually use the school zone the way that they’re supposed to, we wouldn’t have this problem,” said Holly Dumyahn, who drives her kids to and from school. “We just saw somebody do a U-turn in the school zone. People are always in a hurry. They should leave earlier. I leave 20 minutes early, and I only live ten minutes away. People should be more patient.”
Another neighbor, Anthony Carrera, wants a stronger law enforcement presence.
“To combat speeding and illegal U-turns,” he said. “We also need a crosswalk at the intersection of Antelope Ridge and Lost Pony because that’s where most of the kids and parents cross the street to go to the school.”
Mike Rossi, who drives his child to school, describes the safety improvements as positive.
“I think (the county) did a really good job, although they may have to modify it a little bit,” he said. “But right now, I think it’s really good.”
It’s possible that with school only in its second week back in session, drivers and neighbors may simply need more time to adjust to the changes.