COLORADO SPRINGS, CO — Crews want to add a bike lane along Cascade Avenue in downtown Colorado Springs. Engineers with the city say the project isn't just convenient for bikes and scooters- they tell me it's about safety too.
It's between Colorado Avenue and Fountain Boulevard downtown. Crews will be adding a bike lane and a few parking spots. They encourage people who have questions about the project to come out tonight for an open house. That meeting will be at the Penrose Library, downtown from five pm until six thirty. It is free to attend.
I wanted to find out more about potential traffic delays by cutting down Cascade Ave. to one lane. Todd Frisbie, an engineer on the project says there's nothing to be worried about…
“There will be some delay, but it’s gonna be small we’re talking in terms of seconds in terms of delay for a vehicle driver so I think the safety benefits far outweigh the little bit of extra travel time and seconds that a driver may occur.”
Bike lanes and parking spots aren't the only plans for the project. “Another aspect of this plan is we’re gonna take Cascade and Moreno and turn that into an all-way stop with crosswalk so again there’s a lot of traffic crossing cascade from those popular restaurants trying to get to the stadium so that’s another safety benefit.”
Another thing I wanted to know about is how long this project is going to take to complete. I found out that this should be relatively quick, just days to a couple of weeks tops, according to the city. That's because crews don't need to tear up the road. I'm told instead it's more about re-painting than building anything.
Crews hope to start work in September or October. We'll keep our eye on the project for you and will keep you updated on how it progresses.
___
James Roland Bishop, builder of Bishop Castle passes away. How the castle he created is carrying on his legacy
Mr. Bishop spent 44 years of his life building the castle. It is now a staple of the state's history and leaves a 180-foot-tall legacy for his family.
____
Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching.