Traffic restrictions end for project at popular Colorado Springs park but safety concerns remain
Scott Harrison
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Rampart Park visitors share their opinions on the narrow park entrance, which was narrowed by a drainage project completed by a city crew at the end of February.
Work began a month ago to install and bury an underground stormwater pipe in part of an open drainage channel; a heavy flow during a rainstorm last summer eroded part of a retaining wall along the channel and under a new housing development.
The project created a tight squeeze for drivers traveling on and off the narrow, downhill road leading to a popular dog park and walking areas behind Rampart High School.
Exiting drivers were required to yield to oncoming drivers, which often wasn’t easy because of speeding traffic on Lexington Drive and the lack of a dedicated traffic controller at the entrance.
“I did have one instance where I was trying to come out, and a truck had been trying to come in at the same time,” Rebecca Henry, a park visitor, recalled. “They ended up having to back out a little bit — which was definitely sketchy with how fast people come down Lexington. As for how the drainage work looks, I don’t know that I’ve really paid all that much attention. All I’ve noticed is that the trucks are gone, and I can see both ways.”
While park visitors and neighbors who spoke with KRDO13’s The Road Warrior said that they understand and agree with the need for the drainage project, they also confessed to some lingering concerns.
Among them: The park entrance is still too narrow and should be widened; the entire channel, not just the segment under the new homes, should be covered; fencing should be placed along the uncovered channel to keep kids and pets out; and speed enforcement should happen on Lexington Drive, in front of the park entrance.
“I guess I hadn’t thought that far ahead,” said neighbor David Fenell. “But as good of a job as they’ve done so far, if the water comes rushing down and starts tearing up the rest of the drainage ditch, something’s going to have to be done to accommodate that extra water.”
Another neighbor, Ward Ballard, expressed his concerns about safety in the area.
“It seems like somebody could fall in there, easily,” he said, referring to the open channel segment. “And I walk along there with my dog. So, yeah — that is a concern, is it a safety hazard? And it could be.”
Ballard listed speeding on Lexington as another reason to worry.
“I’m just recovering from being in a crash a few weeks ago,” he revealed. “I was hit by a drunk driver. Traffic is just going too fast there.”