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Westside Avenue Action Alert
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Welcome
Welcome to the Westside Avenue Action Alert e-newsletter. Future e-newsletters will be sent periodically with project updates, upcoming meeting schedules and other useful information about the plan.
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Contact Us
To receive these periodic Westside Avenue Action Alert e-newsletters and learn how to get involved, send an email to info@WestsideAvenuePlan.com, or call the project message box at 719.629.7566 and leave your contact information.
Please use the link above to forward this email to anyone you know who has an interest in the Westside Avenue Action Plan.
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Information about Prior Westside Avenue Action Public Meetings
View summaries and materials from prior stakeholder/public meetings, here.
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Agency Sponsors
El Paso County
City of Colorado Springs
City of Manitou Springs
Colorado Department of Transportation
Agency representatives have made a high level, regional commitment to work together and with area residents, businesses, community groups, and other stakeholders to develop a citizen-driven plan based on community values for the much-needed improvements along this vital corridor.
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Current Status and Schedule
- Completed in 2014: Preliminary Design
- First quarter 2015: Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) between El Paso County and CDOT* signed and devolution of W. Colorado/Manitou Avenues transfer of 1.3 mile road right-of-way completed from East of the U.S. 24 interchange to the 31st Street intersection
- March - Dec. 2015: Final Design
- Summer 2015: Begin Property Acquisition
- 2016: Begin Utility Relocation
- 2016: Begin First Phase of Construction
(*Colorado Department of Transportation)
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July 1, 2015 Public Meeting Postponed
A public meeting for the Westside Avenue Action Plan, previously scheduled for July 1, has been postponed to Fall 2015. The project team's goal is to present as much information as possible to the community for feedback during the next public meeting. Postponing the meeting will result in more design concepts and documents available for review, and will also likely result in greater public participation by reducing conflicts with summer schedules and the busy tourist season. Once a date for the rescheduled public meeting has been set, it will be posted here, and communicated via the local news media and in a project e-newsletter. Click here to sign up to receive ongoing project e-newsletters.
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Westside Avenue Action Plan
A Collaborative Community Effort
The Westside Avenue Action Plan involves short-term transportation and safety improvement recommendations and a long-range livable, walkable, economic vision for the 1.5 miles of US 24 Business West (W. Colorado and Manitou avenues between N. 31st Street and the US 24 interchange). The plan will lead to the construction of roadway and safety improvements in this area funded through the voter approved extension of the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority tax revenues
This vital link between the national historic districts of Old Colorado City in Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs is in need of revitalization if it is to be a viable connection between these two vibrant and popular destinations. The Westside Avenue Action Plan is the first step toward much needed infrastructure improvements to address safety and efficient travel in the corridor. These improvements will set the stage for economic revitalization and other future corridor enhancements and positively contribute to the region's economic vitality.
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Recommended Roadway Preferred Alternative
 Following a series of stakeholder/public workshops, area residents, property and business owners and elected officials recommended that the participating agencies carry forward a 3-lane reconfiguration of roadway improvements along Manitou and W. Colorado avenues between 31st Street and the U.S. 24 interchange. The preferred alternative includes one through lane for eastbound and westbound traffic with a center-left turn lane.
For Stakeholder Workshops/Public meeting agendas, presentation documents, and meeting summaries click here.
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Next Steps -- Fall 2015 Public Meeting
A project stakeholder/public meeting will take place in Fall 2015. During the meeting participants will have the opportunity to provide input on more detailed design concepts, property access, and the overall look and feel of the corridor. (CLICK for details of what to expect at the Fall 2015 public meeting.) 
Challenges impacting the project include:
- Extensiveness of utility undergrounding and relocation (approximately six miles of utility work has been determined to be needed)
- Age of some of the utility and storm drainage infrastructure requires upgrading
- Numerous utility connections to private properties resulting from undergrounding work
- Rights-of-way alignment impacts
- Americans with Disability Act improvements
- Fountain Creek relocation necessary to construct a new, more efficient bridge at Colorado Avenue and Columbia Road.
CLICK to read more.
Screening Criteria:
- Screen criteria applied during the decision-making process for the recommended roadway configuration and alignment (based on project goals, public input to community values and technical analysis), are now being applied during the final design and budgeting phase of the project. CLICK to view screen criteria.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Will the plan address corridor jurisdiction or annexation?
A: The issue of transfer of ownership of the road right-of-way is often easily confused with a change in municipal jurisdiction for private property. People often incorrectly use the term "annexation" interchangeably between these two actions. This Westside Avenue Action Plan study addresses "transfer of roadway ownership" of W. Colorado and Manitou avenues.
"Annexation" refers to a change in municipal jurisdiction for private property, and is not a part of this study.
An Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) was signed in early 2015 transferring ownership of 1.3 miles of W. Colorado/Manitou avenues road right-of-way from the Colorado Department of Transportation to El Paso County (from East of the U.S. 24 interchange to the 31st Street intersection). This action will ease multi-jurisdictional maintenance issues that exist today. Once construction of the transportation improvements has been completed, ownership of the road right-of-way will be transferred to the City of Colorado Springs and/or the City of Manitou Springs.The transfer of roadway ownership may be a catalyst for possible annexation of private property in the future.
(CLICK FOR MORE FAQs)
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