Officials for Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs Utilities explain delays on 8th Street project
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — If you’ve driven along 8th Street on the city’s southwest side this summer, you may have wondered why progress seems to have stalled on the improvements project that started last June.
Specifically, the water main replacement appears to have settled in front of the Walmart, and work remains unfinished on the Fountain Creek bridge — the two main phases of the overall project.
Ryan Phipps, the city’s capital improvements manager, and Cassie Melvin, a spokesperson for Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU), recently met with KRDO 13’s The Road Warrior to explain the reasons for the delays.
Melvin said that the water main replacement is held up by two things: city stormwater upgrades in the construction zone and connecting the water main to service lines of several businesses along the block of Abbot Lane.
She said that the water main work should continue north on 8th Street in a few weeks.
Meanwhile, Phipps said that crews expect to resume repairs on the west side of the creek bridge next week, when a concrete girder arrives.
The overall project began with repairs on the east side of the 75-year-old bridge and the installation of a wider sidewalk, but a later inspection found that the west side needs more repairs than expected.
Melvin said that the water main should be finished late this year or early next year, while Phipps said that the bridgework should be completed by the end of the year.
The city still has to install curbs, gutters, and sidewalks where they currently don’t exist along the street, then repave the stretch from Cimarron Street to Motor City Drive.
Phipps expects the project to end late next spring.
The project has required occasional changes to traffic patterns through the construction zone; the latest began on Monday and tightens turns at the 8th Street/Abbot Lane/Lower Gold Camp Road intersection.
Drivers have been frustrated with the lane closures, turn restrictions, and bumpy travel through the work area.
Travel has also been challenging for pedestrians, who have encountered closed sidewalks; on Monday, a homeless woman pushing a full shopping cart with her belongings and a man riding his horse tried to navigate the intersection.
The city and CSU said that they understand the frustration and thank drivers for their continued patience and cooperation.
Businesses in the area remain open and accessible.
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