CDOT repaving project on South Nevada Avenue and Highway 115 in Colorado Springs almost finished
Scott Harrison
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — The above headline may be cause for celebration among drivers who have complained for years about what was considered one of the worst roadway stretches in the Pikes Peak Region.
By the end of October, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) expects to complete the repaving of six miles of the south end of Nevada Avenue, where it becomes Highway 115.
The $10.4 million project placed a new layer of asphalt between Brookside Street, just south of downtown, and the main gate of Fort Carson.
KRDO 13’s The Road Warrior was the first to report in February 2024 that the repaving would happen.
Work began this spring when crews moved north from Fort Carson; they achieved a major milestone several weeks ago when they reached the four-way intersection of Highway 115/South Nevada/Cheyenne Road/Southgate Road.
Workers closed the intersection for 12 hours on a weekend night to complete paving at the intersection — officially symbolizing the beginning of the end for the overall project.
Patti Henschen, a CDOT engineer, said that paving is essentially finished.
“The final touch-up items that we’re going to need are final striping, some signage, and a little bit of guardrail and shouldering,” she said.
Henschen added that the most frustrating aspect of the project was drivers who failed to obey traffic control signs and lights.
The affected corridor was known for numerous potholes, and for cracking, crumbling pavement and concrete; crews also made concrete repairs of curbs, sidewalks, and medians before repaving.
Many drivers considered the worst stretch to be between Brookside and the Lake Avenue interchange.
A commemorative plaque placed on a median in the area indicates that the last major improvements were in 1987.