Scott Harrison
PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) — The potential for future economic development in the St. Charles Industrial Park has changed the strategy for rebuilding a deteriorating concrete road through the area.
In late 2024, KRDO 13’s The Road Warrior reported on the plan for 1.5 miles of Lime Road, east of the Stem Beach interchange on Interstate 25.
The road is primarily a two-lane concrete route to several industries, including a concrete plant, a power plant, and a wind turbine manufacturer.
Constant heavy truck traffic, however, has seriously cracked much of the road’s concrete pavement — creating a rough ride for traffic.
Pueblo annexed the main stretch of Lime Road from Pueblo County in 2012, but the opposite ends of it remain in the county’s jurisdiction.
The county is currently paving its part of the road, approximately a quarter mile east of the interchange.
Pueblo’s original plan was to remove the old concrete and use it as a base to rebuild the road as an entirely asphalt surface.
However, Andrew Hayes, the city’s public works director, said that rebuilding the road as a concrete surface remains a possibility.
“We’re working with companies in (the industrial park) right now, to time that project and to figure out how best to get there without interrupting their operations as well,” he explained.
The city also wants to rebuild a quarter-mile segment of the interchange — which is owned by the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) — to remove a sharp curve and align it with the rest of Lime Road.
Such a project would likely cost between $10 million and $20 million, Hayes said, but it would also be an enticement for other industries to come to the park.
No details are available about the nature of the economic development possibility or the funding source for road reconstruction.
However, the situation has led Pueblo-area leaders to begin discussing how to increase funding for street, road, and bridge needs.
Hayes said that the Pueblo Area Council of Governments (PACOG) could establish a regional transportation authority similar to the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority (PPRTA) in El Paso County.
The PPRTA was formed in 2005 and proposed a 1% sales tax increase specifically to fund local transportation projects; it was approved and renewed by voters in the municipalities of Colorado Springs, El Paso County, Manitou Springs, Green Mountain Falls, Ramah, and Calhan.
Hayes said that such an entity would include not only Pueblo and Pueblo County, but potentially other communities such as Pueblo West and Colorado City.
Before an entity could be formed, it would have to be approved by PACOG members, which include several Pueblo City Council members, the three Pueblo County commissioners, representatives of the city and county school districts, and the Pueblo Water Board.
Additionally, voters would have to approve any proposed tax increases.
Semi truck drivers and industrial park workers hope to see a better Lime Road soon.
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