9-month bridge closure is latest phase of Park Vista drainage improvements project in Colorado Springs
Scott Harrison
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — A block of Hopeful Drive closed Monday and will remain closed until next summer as crews demolish an existing bridge and build a new one.
The Hopeful bridge is between North Blissful Circle and Sedate Lane, north of North Carefree Circle and east of the Academt Boulevard/Austin Bluffs Parkway intersection.
A crew began using a concrete saw to slice the structure into sections to make demolition easier.
The bridge is small and was occasionally overtopped by heavy flows in the Templeton Gap Creek; the bridge is in the upper section of the drainage channel.
Flows have become heavier in the creek with recent growth and development in the area.
The bridge replacement is part of the overall Park Vista drainage improvements that began in February.
Crews are widening the channel, increasing its capacity, and adding drop structures to slow the velocity of stormwater during storms.
Another improvement was to close the intersection of Siferd Boulevard and Date Street, which served as a low-water crossing for the channel.
During heavy rainfall, the intersection would flood and occasionally require emergency rescues of people trapped in their vehicles.
The city later installed closure gates that were managed by a nearby fire station during flash flood warnings.
The former three-way intersection now has cul-de-sacs at each end to prevent vehicles from entering a new channel in which water can safely flow to an inlet under Academy Boulevard.
Neighbors have adjusted to street closures required for the project, and a detour is in place for the Hopeful bridge closure.
“It’s a good deal, it really is,” said Robert Tafoya, who lives beside the bridge. “We’ve been here, and the water’s been pretty high at times. So yeah, it’s needed.”
Austin, who said that he grew up in the neighborhood, will miss the old bridge.
(12:37) “Just ’cause it’s a lot of memories, at least from my childhood,” he explained. “I remember hearing stories from my parents’ childhood. Just being able to play (around) it. Be kids. Kill a bunch of energy, do back flips off a wall, whatever.”
But neighbor Briana Gaytan, who has two boys, disagreed.
“Even with water not in the picture, there are a lot of ways that kids can get hurt,” she said. “I mean, I did grow up in the ditch, too.”
However, her boys said that they’d love to play around the bridge if she’d let them.
The overall project is scheduled for completion late next year.
The city and El Paso County are sharing the $11 million cost, as part of an agreement for the city to annex the property from the county and end confusion about which entity was responsible for repairs.
Funding for the project is through a combination of El Paso County’s allotment of federal ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds and SWENT (Stormwater Enterprise) funds from the City of Colorado Springs.
Officials said that the remaining segments of Siferd and Date will be repaved at the end of the project.