COLORADO SPRINGS, CO — The Colorado Highway 115 Resurfacing Project was set to finish at the end of this month, but drivers now won't see it complete until late October.
Work along the six-mile stretch of highway has been happening in the evening and overnight hours since February. According to the Colorado Department of Transportation, work has primarily consisted of resurfacing roadways, replacing curb ramps and guardrails, and updating pedestrian signals.
CDOT says the resurfacing part of the $10.4 million project is more than halfway done, but some businesses along the stretch from Fort Carson north to South Nevada Avenue feel it is not happening fast enough.
Top Tier Taperz Barbershop is located close to the center point of the project on Star Ranch Road. Owner and Barber Alaina Cordova says the work can be inconvenient.
"I’m very glad they’re fixing the roads," said Cordova. "They were awful, but it does cause a little bit of complications with roads being shut down, people having to go around.”
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It is a similar situation at Edelweiss German Restaurant on East Ramona Avenue. Owner and General Manager Dieter Schnakenberg says the work on 115 has, to an extent, hurt business.
“The customers and just the public in general have kind of decided to stay away from the South Nevada, South Tejon area." said Schnakenberg. "It’s just been backed up and difficult to get around.”
Cordova has also noticed an impact on customers and employees.
"Tardiness and stuff like that," said Cordova. "It can cause clients that have appointments to show up late, which makes us late for our next one.”
CDOT Resident Engineer Patti Henschen says the delay is due to an excess of recent rain, but adds that a lot of progress has been made so far.
“We completed a lot of the sidewalks, ADA ramps, and medians along the stretch of road between Brookside down to Fort Carson Gate 1," said Henschen.
Once the project is complete, Henschen says this part of the highway will be noticeably smoother and safer. In the meantime, local business owners are staying positive.
“I think all of it’s going to be for the better in the end," said Schnakenberg. "This area of town has always been a little run down and needed some gentrification, so I’m glad to see that that’s coming.”
You can learn more about the project here.
Email Senior Reporter Meghan Glova at meghan.glova@koaa.com.
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