Big plans for Colorado Springs intersection held up by $40 million shortfall

[TCHP]

Originally Posted by bluescreen73

Probably because they're building one of those screwball diverging diamond interchanges. Could be worse - you could be getting a continuous flow intersection like the one CDOT and E-470 are putting in at Quincy and Gun Club in Southeast Aurora. That thing is going to be a hot mess until people get used to it.

I was pretty critical of the diverging diamond design initially. However, seeing how it has smoothed the flow of traffic through the Fillmore interchange has altered my opinion of it. Yes, there are still people who go into it totally confused and do dumb stuff. I've almost been broadsided twice by people blowing through lights, but that can happen at any intersection. The volume of traffic it moves now compared to the traditional layout it was is before is significantly better.

[KerrTown]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

The "plan" all along was for Powers to be built to interstate highway standards without grade crossings and traffic signals.

Actually it looks like the "plan" is for Powers to be a bypass highway around the city centre. It seems that CDOT is slowly building a future I-x25 (i.e. I-425, 625, or 825) loop freeway. This is the same approach that Las Vegas took to their I-215 Beltway.

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by KerrTown

Actually it looks like the "plan" is for Powers to be a bypass highway around the city centre. It seems that CDOT is slowly building a future I-x25 (i.e. I-425, 625, or 825) loop freeway. This is the same approach that Las Vegas took to their I-215 Beltway.

Agree. Here in the Phoenix area we have multiple loops around the city.

IMO it was a mistake to build interstate highways through the heart of cities; it just plains ruins cities. If one goes to Trinidad to drive around "downtown" they will note much pollution and noise from I-25. Worse yet is the destruction of property to make way for construction of I-25 all of which has utterly destroyed the character of what should be a really cool place. Same for Pueblo and Colorado Springs. Same for hundreds of cities and towns around the nation. Powers will eventually become a bit of a bypass but they'd better start planning now for a true bypass further east by a few miles and fully designed and built to interstate specs.

I suspect that Powers was originally envisioned from the beginning as an interstate-type highway but the effect of TABOR is often a case of "lets get what we can with what funds we have and fix it later after the people scream loud enough, even though it will cost twice as much than what it would have cost if we had done the job right the first time we built that sucker." I've seen the exact same thing back in Virginia; build it fast/cheap and come back within a mere two years to rebuild it to what it should've been in the first place.

[Vision67]

Eventual I-25, Powers link will pave the way for easier travel across El Paso County, officials say

https://gazette.com/news/eventual-i-...59dd430df.html

"Construction began in December 2019 on the initial $65 million project that includes the construction of a four-lane divided highway between I-25 and Voyager Parkway, south of North Gate Boulevard. This portion of the project, financed with bonds to be repaid by revenues from retail complex Polaris Pointe, is slated to be complete late this summer, project spokeswoman Kate Binning said.

But the vision for the circular link may not be realized anytime soon. It will not be complete until another project — which will extend Powers Boulevard from Colorado 83, where it now ends, to Voyager Parkway — is finished, said Timothy Mitros, district manager of the Copper Ridge Metro District, which is leading the privately financed improvement."

[YoYoSpin]

Originally Posted by Vision67

But the vision for the circular link may not be realized anytime soon. It will not be complete until another project — which will extend Powers Boulevard from Colorado 83, where it now ends, to Voyager Parkway — is finished, said Timothy Mitros, district manager of the Copper Ridge Metro District, which is leading the privately financed improvement."

I have my doubts that the Powers/Voyager phase will ever be completed. A careful look at this project's map shows the Powers extension would have to go through new and yet-to-be-completed neighborhoods in Flying Horse, as well as the north side of their golf course. Do Flying Horse homeowners even know about this plan?

[Vision67]

It might be a good use of that Golf Course land.

I'm sure that the developers fully inform prospective buyers.

[Brill]

Going up voyager will be a pain. That will be 4 traffic lights between spectrum loop and north gate. You know they will not by synched up, so you'll hit every single one.