‘We’re tired of it.’ Southwest Colorado Springs neighborhood frustrated with persistent flooding at intersection
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — In the Lower Skyway area, it’s a problem that neighbors dread even in dry weather, because they know what rain will bring.
Rain — such as that which fell on Friday and Monday evenings — floods the south side of the Arcturus Drive/Green Star Drive intersection.
It produces large pools of water that are a splash hazard in warm weather and an ice hazard in cold weather.
There are two factors in the street flooding there.
One: Green Star is lower than Arcturus, so runoff naturally flows downhill.
Two: There is no storm drain in the immediate vicinity; a drainage channel lies a block to the east, but a long-vacant lot with thick grasses and weeds can slow or even block the drainage, and there is no infrastructure to convey the water to the channel.
Longtime neighbors told KRDO 13’s The Road Warrior that the intersection has flooded for at least a decade, and they wonder why more hasn’t been done to address it.
Green Star leads to several high-rise apartment buildings where many citizens live, and the flooded intersection can be difficult for pedestrians or disabled people to cross.
Adding to their frustrations is the recent arrival of a construction staging area on the west side of the intersection, on property that was once a gas station and repair shop; they said that additional runoff and sediment from the property worsen the flooding.
Richard Mulledy, the city’s public works director, said that he’s aware of the matter and explained that he’s waiting to learn if there are future development plans before committing to an infrastructure project.
New housing has been built over the past two years on the north side of the intersection, and long-vacant lots to the southeast and southwest could be targeted for future development.
Yet another concern from neighbors is that construction vehicles are damaging Green Star’s pavement, which was repaved only a few years ago.
“Let’s use our taxpayer dollars to do something about this,” said Dora Perez, a neighbor.
Another neighbor, Jsmers Golubic, agrees.
“I disagree with the city’s strategy on this,” he said. “I don’t think there will be more development here. Most of the area is in a flood zone.
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