COLORADO SPRINGS — There is a call for patience along with a promise of major improvements on 30th Street in Colorado Springs. Two years of work is starting to widen the heavily traveled road and add a roundabout at the main entrance to Garden of the Gods Park. The changes are to improve safety and ease congestion.
The work happens on a two mile stretch of 30th Street from Fontanero Street to Mesa Boulevard. It remains one lane in each direction, however the corridor widens to create shoulders where they do not exist. It creates space for disabled vehicles to get out of the way, room for emergency vehicles to maneuver, and makes it safer for cyclists who are common on the road.
More than a million vehicles a year come and go from Garden of the Gods. The volume backs up and drivers often take dangerous chances making left turns in front of on-coming traffic. The roundabout is seen as a safer option for merging.
The work is starting at the end of summer on purpose. Work on the roundabout happens in the first phase. "We told the contractor we want you to construct this during the wintertime when visitation to the park is low,” said City of Colorado Springs, Project Engineer, Robin Allen.
An temporary alternate road goes in to keep the entrance of Garden of the Gods open. Plans also include keeping at least one of the entrances of the Visitor Center open throughout the project.
The long-term improvements require short-term inconvenience. At times there will be congestion, slowdowns, and some detours. The advice is to plan ahead and watch the city’s website for changes in the construction zone. If in in doubt. the designated alternate route is Centennial Boulevard.
