…for the area which has been nicknamed “No Man’s Land”. At their January 31st meeting, the El Paso County Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) approved an important Intergovernmental Agreement between El Paso County and the Colorado Department 
of Transportation (CDOT) to begin development of an improvement plan for Colorado Avenue as it passes from the Westside of Colorado Springs through unincorporated El Paso County and continues into Manitou Springs.
This section of the far Westside is a multi-jurisdictional area, sandwiched between Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs with a portion in unincorporated El Paso County. Known as Business Route 24, the roadway itself is maintained by the Colorado Department of Transportation and a variety of safety improvements are badly needed within the CDOT right-of-way to accommodate vehicle and pedestrian traffic, to correct long-standing problems with drainage and bridge improvements, as well as to address utility challenges. Safety and infrastructure concerns have existed for many years, but it wasn’t until last year the County and City staff members, working together with Commissioner Sallie Clark and the various partner agencies, were able to secure $300,000 in funds through a CDOT grant to begin the planning and assessment process.
“This is the first step and a very important Intergovernmental Agreement between El Paso County and the State of Colorado,” notes Commissioner Clark, whose district includes the Westside of Colorado Springs, Manitou Springs and the Ute Pass area. “To gauge how long it takes to get things moving, we’ve been working on this since I first took office as a Commissioner and it’s exciting to know that we finally have funding to start the formal planning process.”
For additional information, visit Sallie’s blog.
