COLORADO SPRINGS – As work on the new US Olympic Museum and Hall of Fame is nearing completion, the City of Colorado Springs will begin construction early next year on $40 million worth of public improvements in Southwest Downtown to create grand entrances to the new amenity.
City Council will hear about the final plans and timelines for the new pedestrian access bridge and Vermijo streetscapes at a work session Monday morning.
The $15.6 million bridge will cross the railroad tracks connecting America the Beautiful Park to the museum. While primarily built of steel and concrete, the bridge design will share a futuristic shape that compliments the design of the museum.
The streetscapes will be added along West Vermijo Avenue between Sierra Madre and Tejon Streets. The $24.5 million project will reduce Vermijo to a two-lane street, dramatically widen sidewalks and add a pedestrian promenade.
Both projects are expected to begin construction in the first quarter of 2019 and be completed by early 2020. Slides included in the presentation to City Council have identified $23 million out of the $40 million needed to fund the construction projects.
