COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — About a month after Dublin Boulevard reopened to through traffic, construction crews and Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) officers are still redirecting drivers near Marksheffel Road.
- Watch News5's coverage of Dublin Bouelvard reopening below:
Some East Side business owners and residents say the lack of communication is making a bad situation worse.
As of Thursday, cones and hard hats remained on site, blocking certain lanes. Around noon, CSPD cars arrived and blocked drivers from turning left onto Dublin Boulevard. No "no left turn" signs were posted.
Caylea Henn, who works at HOTWORX near the construction zone, said she was cited for attempting to make a left turn onto Issaquah Drive, a turn she makes every day.
"The damage has been done, we've been dealing with this for 19-20 months," said Henn. "I've had members cancel because they don't want to deal with the hassle."
When asked why she was cited, Henn pointed to a lack of clear guidance at the intersection.
"Due to lack of road closed signs, flaggers, I have no idea," said Henn.
Susan Fish, who lives in the Indigo Ranch neighborhood, said she was stopped right behind Henn, but made the turn without issue.
"It was so confusing," said Fish.
Fish said she had no way of knowing the road conditions had changed.
"I think they paved it this (Thursday) morning. There was no way of knowing that," said Fish.
CSPD confirmed that enforcement is up in the area after city engineers and the company behind the project reported that construction workers repeatedly felt unsafe. CSPD says there has been excessive speeding through the intersections, with the average ticket price between $400 and $500.
Both Henn and Fish said they were not informed of any changes along Dublin Boulevard. The project's website says to expect delays and closures from July 8 to 15. On Thursday, officers and construction crews were still on site redirecting cars, with no "no left turn" signs visible.
Fish and Henn said breakdowns in communication like these are hurting the local community.
"Nobody knows how to get in and out," said Fish.
I reached out to the city to find out whether future delays are on the horizon along Dublin Boulevard and they sent me the following statement:
The Dublin Boulevard Improvements Project is nearing completion, with all paving operations completed on July 16. Over the next several days, crews will complete final pavement markings, including lane striping, crosswalks, arrows and other roadway markings.
Overnight lane striping is scheduled July 20-22 from 7 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. and will require lane closures and traffic shifts. Additional pavement marking work will continue during daytime hours July 20-23 using mobile lane closures with only brief, intermittent impacts. Flaggers and, when needed, uniformed traffic control officers will assist with traffic movement as crews work through intersections, side streets and driveways.
We appreciate the public's patience as we complete these final activities and encourage all motorists to continue driving cautiously, following posted speed limits and watching for changing traffic patterns in the work zone.
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