TELLER COUNTY- This summer brought lots of construction projects throughout the area.
Along Highway 24 in particular, numerous projects underway didn’t help the already congested highway with weekend traffic.
For one neighborhood, it meant hundreds of cars speeding through the area to bypass the highway- which caused safety concerns for neighbors.
‘Once in a while they lose it, we’ve lost a tree over here because it knocked all the bark off,’ said Leonard Vahsholtz, who owns Vahsholtz Automotive in the neighborhood.
Neighbors credit the route change to phone apps directing drivers away from traffic.
Teller county officials shut down the road many drivers were using to cut through the area, in hopes of alleviating some of the safety concerns with speedy drivers.
Since the closure in May, it’s been a welcomed change for many neighbors.
‘It’s been wonderful, it’s been quiet, the neighborhood’s been real nice, lot more animals running around,’ said Christopher Steila, who lives in the neighborhood.
County officials say the plan is to leave the road closed temporarily until May.
The closure, concerning people in the are as one of the main roads to detour around the closure, Park Street- involves a steep hill.
‘Ice,’ is what Steila says is his main concern, ‘in the winter time is whether I can get over that hill or not,’ said Steila.
City of Woodland Park takes care of the surrounding roads in that area.
The city’s Interim Public Works Director Kip Wiley says they plan to continue cleaning the area as usual during the winter.
With part of the hill facing south, Wiley says they hope that will help to limit the ice buildup.
