COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — Traffic on Black Forest Road between Woodmen and Research Parkway has significantly increased since the road was expanded to four lanes more than six months ago.
According to city data, the number of vehicles traveling northbound between Woodmen and Research Pkwy has increased by 1,100 on any given weekday, while southbound traffic in the same stretch is up by 1,700 vehicles.
"A two-lane road, with no turn lanes, wasn't sufficient to handle the traffic," said Todd Frisbie, City Traffic Engineering Manager.
The expansion project was designed to meet the growth on the east side of Colorado Springs, where development has transformed once-empty fields into residential communities.
"I live out east, out in Peyton. I didn't think there was going to be apartment complexes, let alone 10 of them along Woodmen," said Jared McIntyre, a local resident familiar with the area's rapid development.
Data collected by the city also shows more vehicles traveling through the intersection at speeds above the 85th percentile, indicating that drivers are moving faster through the area since the expansion.
"When you expand the road from two lanes to four lanes, you would expect some cars to drive a little faster," Frisbie said.
The increased speeds may be contributing to safety concerns. Just last month, city data shows the Black Forest intersection with Woodmen saw the third most red light camera violations.
"Woodmen is a 55-mile-per-hour road, and with higher speeds, you tend to get more red light violations," Frisbie said.
For residents like McIntyre, the road expansion has provided some benefits despite the challenges.
"For the amount of traffic on the road, it would have taken an additional 15 minutes if the changes hadn't been done," Mcintyre said.
Frisbie noted that the city will need several years of data before making any definitive conclusions about the safety impact of the road expansion.
We’re diving into the history of red light cameras in Colorado Springs. The city first experimented with the cameras in 2010, but the initiative was scrapped due to cost concerns.
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