Category: krdo-local-news

Scott Harrison

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Officials held a ceremony late Thursday morning to celebrate the opening of the new westbound bridges on South Circle Drive.

Westbound traffic is still using the two old bridges, which will be demolished eventually; traffic on the two eastbound bridges opened last year.

Officials said that the westbound bridges won’t open for traffic until just before Thanksgiving, to give crews time to finish paving and lane striping.

The bridges also feature wide sidewalks, which the previous bridges lacked.

Thursday’s celebration comes as crews wrap up construction on the two-year, $45 million project to replace the bridges that were rated in poor condition and were built in 1963.

The project was among the city’s highest priorities, as those bridges now carry much more traffic than they did 60 years ago.

The bridges are part of a key corridor that links Interstate 25 at the south end of town to the center of the city.

The structures rise high above Fountain Creek, railroad tracks, Las Vegas Street, Hancock Expressway, a major utility pathway, and the Pikes Peak Greenway Trail.

Construction has been particularly challenging and frustrating at times for drivers navigating through the narrow, winding lanes, and for businesses and residents along the work zone.

Much of the zone is bordered by a mobile home park to the north and a shopping center to the south.

“We’re so happy with it being open, because it’s going to increase our front entrance much better, with access in and out of the park,” said manager Claudia Dodge. “The Janitell Road intersection is our only way in and out. There’s a second entrance to the east, but it was closed for construction, and we don’t know if it will reopen.”

Circle Drive on both sides of the bridges continues to be in rough shape, with potholes and crumbling pavement — which is why the city will repave those segments next year as part of the annual 2C expanded paving program.

Mayor Yemi Mobolade, District 4 City Council member Kimberly Gold, and Public Works Director Richard Mulledy spoke during a 10 a.m. ceremony on Thursday, and the Stockers Car Club, founded in 1958, was the first to drive across the new westbound bridges.

Some neighbors are disappointed that the sidewalks installed on the north side of the bridge don’t extend the entire length to Janitell Road, as the south side sidewalks do.

Ryan Phipps, the city’s capital improvements manager, said that the south side sidewalks are what the city recommends pedestrians use.

“There isn’t connectivity on the north side sidewalks,” he explained. “There’s further development that would construct sidewalks there.”

The area without sidewalks is along the mobile home park.

Phipps also revealed that the Willwood tunnel, a road under I-25 between Janitell and the Frontage Road near The Broadmoor World Arena — closed during the project because of traffic congestion from being used as a detour — will reopen early next year, when all traffic impacts from the project are finished.

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Bradley Davis

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – Marine Corps Veteran Zach Tidwell lost his sight after a suicide attempt six years ago. He said he sees things better now than he ever did before.

“When you’ve reached the point of putting a gun between your eyes, you see joy in absolutely nothing,” Tidwell said. “Now, I can’t see anything going on, but I can choose to appreciate the small things like feeling the wind and the heat.”

Tidwell was one of the Veterans who took flight with the Veterans Exploration Therapy (VET) sunrise balloon launch on Thursday. He said he found salvation in movement. After leaving the hospital completely blind, he said he was skiing before being able to cook for himself and has since dedicated himself to Ju Jitsu and lifting as well.

Tidwell’s story immediately spoke to VET founder, Deke Letson.

“Giving the people purpose. Giving them memories they’re going to remember for the rest of my life,” Letson said.

Letson might not have the physical markings, but he found himself on a similar journey.

“I hit rock bottom. I lost my job. I was that veteran who was about to commit suicide,” Letson said. “I got a DUI, which was the best thing that ever happened to me.”

Letson struggled with Delayed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. he said he’s been sober since his DUI seven years ago. Afteward, he decided to go back to school at Red Rocks Community College, where he created VET as a class project. It’s turned into his life’s passion.

“We want to reach more. That’s the thing right there, it’s not just Zach. There’s so many more out there too who are struggling,” Letson said.

Letson said his mission is to help Veterans on their healing journeys through outdoor adventures, like the sunrise balloon ride.

Tidwell has put in a lot of work on his own since his attempt six years ago. Rather than needing a healing journey, he said Thursday’s ride became more of a victory lap.

“‘What was my thing I was floating away from?’ Deke had asked me, and honestly, I don’t feel like I have anything that I need to float away from. I didn’t realize that until I was asked that question,” Tidwell said.

Letson said he struggled to get care for over a year because he didn’t have the proper disability claims. He said he does not require Veterans to show any paperwork when reaching out to sign up for one of his free adventures.

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Josh Helmuth

Griffith Centers is using funds from Colorado Gives Day to support a special Food-To-Table curriculum for its students at its Colorado Springs campus.

Colorado Gives Day is an annual movement that encourages donations to non-profits across Colorado; It runs for roughly a month until December 9; Griffith Centers is just one non-profit where people can donate.

Griffith Centers – formerly Griffith Centers For Children – house, educate and treat children in need of a permanent home. Part of their mission is supporting their J. Wilkins Opportunity School. Through Colorado Gives Day donations, they will spend that money supporting their Farm-To-Table Culinary Arts Program, where 3rd through 12th grade students get hands-on learning in horticulture and gastronomy, which is the art of choosing, cooking and eating good food.

You can donate to Griffith Center’s mission through Colorado Gives Day here.

Is there something or someone remarkable at your school? Hit Josh up! SchoolBuzz@KRDO.com.

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Bradley Davis

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – A physics teacher at Monument Academy High School (East Campus) is altering her curriculum this year to include a lesson plan that’s a little more “all hands on deck.”

Esme Wilhelm designed the competition for her students. She tasked teams of two and three to design a cardboard boat strong enough to carry their team members across a lap pool using the physics concepts of buoyancy, displacement and center of mass.

“Being able to see my students light up every day in this class, having their ideas and creativity, and that engineering comes into practice, is just what gives me pure joy,” Wilhelm said.

It’s the first time Esme has hosted this competition for her students. She said they have taken to it with a passion.

“I trust it. We did a lot of math about figuring out what the density and the displacement and everything was, so I’ve got confidence,” student Nalani Allen said about her group’s boat.

The race is at 1:30 p.m. in the Monument YMCA lap pool. The goal is to be the first to paddle across the length of the lap pool, but there is a Titanic award for the group that sinks the most dramatically.

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Scott Harrison

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — Some neighbors in part of Security-Widefield have finally gotten the street repaving they hoped to receive last year.

While several residents wish that the quality of the paving job had been better, they’re generally pleased that the work is over.

“Taking too long, kinda does make sense,” said Chloe Cosgrove. “It was a little frustrating when I was trying to go this way, and there’s just a big mess. And I know the weather has been part of that. But then again, it is nice to have new roads.”

Eric Hooper echoed the sentiment.

“I think they did a wonderful job,” he said. “(Took) a little longer than what I’d want. It’s definitely needed. I just wish that instead of putting a patch on like they did here at my house, they would have done it all the correct way the first time.”

Crews spent the summer and early fall doing concrete work on Bison and Chimayo drives — installing new sidewalks, curbs, gutters, and even some new driveway entrances — to prepare for repaving.

Some of that work was delayed because of rain in late spring and early summer, but dry fall weather has since allowed crews to catch up and pave farther into the season than they normally do.

In fact, crews finished the last block of paving on Tuesday and began moving equipment out early Wednesday morning.

Last summer, KRDO 13’s The Road Warrior reported on the streets surrounding Bison and Chimayo getting a slurry seal resurfacing treatment; it covers the existing pavement without milling of old pavement, as a temporary treatment before asphalt repaving.

Several neighbors contacted The Road Warrior, asking why those streets were resurfaced when they appeared to be in good condition, while Bison and Chimayo were not.

We’ve since learned that paving crews often prioritize resurfacing streets that are in less-than-poor condition because they’ll last longer, while streets like Bison and Chimayo require a complete repaving that requires more time and money.

Budget constraints often limit how much paving can be done in certain areas.

Meanwhile, neighbors along other streets in Security-Widefield eagerly await their turn for resurfacing or repaving.

Hooper understands how they feel.

“The temporary paving (crews) did was the first in the 18 years I’ve lived here,” he said.

Hooper lives where Chimayo becomes Frontier Drive, and he said that the area received a temporary resurfacing last year and is already cracking, but should get a full repaving next year.

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Rob Namnoum

The Pine Creek boys soccer team came up short in their quest to play for the Class 5A state championship. The Eagles lost in the Class 5A semifinal to Regis Jesuit 3-2 on Tuesday night.

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Rob Namnoum

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo (KRDO) — “It’s a beautiful day here in Colorado. It’s Veterans Day.  Everything gets in your soul and just makes your heart continue to swell,” says Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun.

The Air Force football team swells with pride when talking about the sacrifices that have been made by veterans, “The value of liberty. There’s nothing godly man that can replace liberty. And it only happens because we have men and women who serve, and that includes a good number of people. When you say service first responders, a little bit, but especially when you think of our veterans,” says Calhoun.

Bruin Fleischmann adds, “So I had three aunts and three uncles that went to the Naval Academy, have said that before. I had a my great uncle. He fought in Vietnam, and he was in the Marines. So, a long heritage of veterans in my family, and I think there should be more than a day, honestly, to celebrate and honor all the veterans.”

“A lot of times, you take it for granted what those people do for us. What those men and women have done for us in this country to afford the freedoms to do stuff like this,” Roger Jones Jr.

The Air Force has three games left. If they win all three, they will become bowl eligible, which could mean potatoes. “Usually, the six and six Mountain West team gets the Idaho Potato Bowl. I’m from Idaho, so like, I’m like, let’s go. We have to make this one happen,” says Fleischmann.

Jones adds, “So it’s one of those things that everyone wants to get, especially those seniors. They want to have that one more game. A guy like me, I would love to go to a ball game, play with my brothers.”

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Celeste Springer

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — The Colorado Springs Fire Department (CSFD) confirms that a box truck rolled over in a crash on Tuesday morning.

The accident was near the intersection of Powers Boulevard and Stetson Hills Boulevard. As of 11:30 a.m., CSFD says that the westbound lanes of Stetson Hills Boulevard are closed at the intersection.

The Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) says that the truck hit a pickup truck stopped at a red light during the rollover. Impairment is not believed to be a factor in the crash, CSPD says.

The fire department says that one person was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. Hazmat teams are on scene for a small fuel leak.

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Celeste Springer

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) — The City of Pueblo is looking ahead to a new Comprehensive Safety Action Plan, which aims to enhance road safety. It comes as a city report reveals that Pueblo has the highest per capita rate of fatal crashes, and crashes in general, in the entire state of Colorado.

Source: City of Pueblo

The proposed plan includes more than 190 infrastructure and operational improvements, totaling a cost of over $112 million.

Projects range from minor (like adding guardrails to certain streets) to major construction work (like adding a roundabout to 13th Street and Santa Fe Avenue).

The city is also considering adjusting the timing of signals across 51 locations in town.

Source: City of Pueblo

The Comprehensive Safety Action Plan also outlines a “roundabout first policy,” where future construction would aim to use roundabouts instead of traffic signals or stop signs. According to Pueblo’s Comprehensive Safety Action Plan Report, roundabouts result in an 82% decrease in fatal or injury crashes compared to a two-way stop intersection. They also resulted in a 78% decrease in fatal or injury crashes compared to using a traffic signal.

But Andrew Hayes, Pueblo’s public works director, said that the number of future roundabouts would be limited by available funding.

Additionally, there’s the question of how long it will take to complete the list of projects, and where the money to pay for them will come from.

“There’s no fixed timeline associated with the recommendations in the plan,” Hayes explained. “What the plan does for us is it opens the door to federal funding opportunities and to state funding opportunities for safety grants. So, every year, we’ve been actually pretty successful in applying for and being awarded Highway Safety Improvement Program grants from CDOT.”

He mentioned that this is the first in-depth study of its kind for Pueblo, with Pueblo County and the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) participating as partners.

“Some of the intersections and corridors are in the city, some are in the county, and some are on highways in CDOT’s jurisdiction,” he said. “We also used real-time traffic data gathered from 15 intersections over a 24-hour period.”

A consultant conducted the $800,000 study, with the city paying a fourth and the rest covered by a federally-funded CDOT grant.

However, the plan met with mixed reactions at Monday night’s City Council meeting before narrowly passing by a 4-3 vote.

Councilwoman Regina Maestri was among the three members opposed.

“We usually do work sessions on comprehensive plans,” she explained. “We didn’t give it that opportunity. The people didn’t get the right opportunity to understand it. I’m told that it will be posted publicly, so people can see it that way. I’m not sure why it wasn’t presented in a work session first. That was their decision.”

Maestri said that the Council will be closely watching how funds for the plan are spent, because individual expenditures will require Council approval.

To read the full report, click here.

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Rob Namnoum

Top prep performances for the week of November 3rd.

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