COLORADO SPRINGS — You probably wouldn’t consider Colorado Highway 94 your typical neighborhood street, but after Colorado Springs City Council members unanimously approved the Reagan Ranch development, you may change your mind.
The development, approved at last week’s city council meeting, is expected to bring around 1,600 homes to a 235-acre tract just east of Peterson Air Force Base along Marksheffel Road and Highway 94.
The people living in those homes are sure to bring their cars to their new homes, and lots of them. But in its present state as a two-lane rural highway, adding all those cars on Highway 94 might make for a tight fit.
“We do see a lot of buildup in areas that the roadways aren’t meant to have that kind of traffic on it,” said Master Trooper Gary Cutler with the Colorado State Patrol.
It’s a problem CSP is seeing more and more in our growing state.
“We see such a growth in the state that it’s tough to keep our manpower up to that rate,” Cutler said.
And even without Reagan Ranch built yet, Highway 94 already has its issues.
“We’re seeing increased congestion as well as an increase in fatal crashes,” CDOT spokesperson Michelle Peulen said.
It’s why CDOT is in the process of adding passing lanes and traffic cameras along the highway as part of its Military Access, Mobility & Safety Improvement Project.
But aside from that, “We don’t have any additional Colorado 94 improvements on CDOT’s 10-year plan,” Peulen said.
Peulen said while CDOT doesn’t have additional improvements immediately planned, they are building these current improvements with growth in mind--making sure the road is built to be easily expanded in the future.
Until then it’ll take some extra vigilance from drivers.
“We need to have people understand that they need to help us too,” Cutler said. “So when you have more traffic, you need to be going slower.”
