COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — After 20 months of construction, Tejon Street in downtown Colorado Springs has officially reopened with significant improvements designed to boost foot traffic and enhance the downtown experience.
The revamped street features wider sidewalks, expanded outdoor dining spaces, additional trees, and numerous benches. Business owners and city officials say they're already noticing increased pedestrian activity in the area.
"We're encouraging everyone to come down, re-experience Tejon Street, re-experience downtown, and there's no better time than the holiday season," said Carrie Simpson, director of communications and membership for the Downtown Partnership.
With wider streets, Cooper Davidson, general manager at Jack Quinn's Irish Pub, said people will notice the improvements.
"You're not shoulder by shoulder, but you can walk in groups of people and you can really spread out and enjoy what downtown has to offer," Davidson said.
Many businesses are particularly excited about increased parking availability. The project includes enhanced access to downtown parking garages with improved security features.
"I think the accessibility helps out a lot and having the incentives of the garages with security and safety. It definitely lets more people feel comfortable coming down here and just walking around and being able to just like park their car, not have to stress too much about it," said Morgan Orman, Beauty Bar Front Desk Lead.
General manager of Red Gravy, Tasha Martinez agrees.
“Now we're introducing people to the parking garages. Hey, there's this parking garage. It's half a block. It's safe. It's, you know, weather protecting, and it's going to, you know, again, incentivize people to come down here," said Martinez.
Local residents are also embracing the changes. Les Cole has lived just off of Tejon Street for eleven years. He says this project is worth the wait.
"Oh man, I love it. I think all the merchants are going to love it too, you know. They finally got it all open for them and it's so wide and new looking," Cole said.
Ryan Hershberger, Colorado Springs City Project Manager, believes the improvements will create a multiplier effect for local businesses by encouraging visitors to spend more time downtown.
"If you have more people on the street and they're walking and feeling comfortable, that they're gonna be more likely, instead of just going to lunch, they're gonna go to lunch and also shop here and shop there. If they're going for a shop, they might stop and get a drink at this other location. So having a better experience downtown will encourage more foot traffic," Hershberger said.
The project isn't completely finished. City officials expect the currently covered street lights to be operational within the next few weeks. Additional crosswalk improvements are planned for spring 2025.
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