Description of Proposed Action
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SECTION 2 Description of Proposed Action The Proposed Action consists of the following occupants. To accommodate this flexible use, the elements, which are described in detail below. HOV lane would not be barrier-separated from the general-purpose lanes, but would be demarcated • General Purpose Lanes by appropriate signage and striping. • High-Occupancy Vehicle Lanes Major Interchange Reconstruction • Major Interchange Reconstruction In conjunction with the additional highway lanes, the Proposed Action includes interchange Minor I-25 Modifications • reconstruction at several locations within the • Congestion Management, including corridor. All of these major interchange transportation system management (TSM) reconstruction projects will involve expanded strategies bridge structures needed to accommodate the additional I-25 lanes noted above. These major • Transit and Park-and-Ride Accommodations interchange reconstruction projects are as follows: • Bicycle/Pedestrian Accommodations • Exit 158 – Baptist Road The proposed lane additions and major • Exit 156 – North Gate Road, plus freeway-to- interchange reconstruction projects included in the freeway ramps for Powers Boulevard Proposed Action are depicted in Figure 2-1. • Exit 147/148 – North Nevada Avenue and General Purpose Lanes Rockrimmon Boulevard (consolidated) The Proposed Action would widen I-25 between • Exit 145 – Fillmore Street State Highway 105 (Monument – Exit 161) and South Academy Boulevard (Exit 135), a distance • Exit 142 – Bijou Street of approximately 26 miles. Within these limits, a • Exit 141 – Cimarron Street (US24) six-lane cross-section (three through-lanes in each direction) would be built south of the US 24 The major interchange reconstruction projects Bypass to South Academy (4 miles) and north of included in the Proposed Action are described Briargate to State Highway 105 (12 miles). briefly below: Additionally, for the 12-mile central portion from • Baptist Road Interchange (Exit 158): This the Briargate Parkway (Exit 151) to US 24 Bypass standard diamond interchange provides access (Exit 139), the Proposed Action consists of an to a two-lane road in a rapidly developing eight-lane cross-section (four through-lanes in portion of northern El Paso County. The each direction). The additional two lanes would be existing two-lane bridge over I-25 will be open to general traffic for most of the day, but replaced with a wider bridge that will reserved for buses and carpools during peak accommodate more arterial roadway lanes periods. For existing and future cross-sections, see (including left-turn lanes) on Baptist Road. Figure 2-2. Longer on-ramps and off-ramps will be provided for safe freeway merging. The High-Occupancy Vehicle Lanes northbound I-25 off-ramp to Baptist will be In the eight-lane cross-section, the inside relocated to the east where the frontage road is (leftmost) lane in each direction would be open to today, to provide improved spacing on Baptist general traffic in off-peak hours, but in morning Road between the traffic signals for the I-25 and evening peak hours would be reserved for use off-ramps and Struthers Road (the frontage by carpools and buses only. To qualify as a road). carpool, a vehicle would need to have two or more 2-1 FIGURE 2-1 Proposed Roadway Improvements (Note: The Proposed Action also includes various non-roadway elements. For details, see description of Proposed Action.) 2-2 FIGURE 2-2 I-25 Existing and Proposed Cross-Sections 2-3 • North Gate/Powers Interchange (Exit 156): replaced with a diamond interchange offset The existing unsignalized North Gate slightly south and west of the existing facility. cloverleaf interchange has short on-ramps and off-ramps resulting in inadequate weaving Each of these major interchange reconstruction distances on I-25. This configuration will be projects will replace 40-year-old, non-standard replaced by a signalized diamond interchange designs with modern configurations that tied into ramps that connect with the planned accommodate needed highway capacity. northern extension of Powers Boulevard. The expanded interchange complex will serve not Minor I-25 Modifications only free-flowing freeway-to-freeway The Proposed Action includes three other roadway movements, but also local access needs. design elements that are not major interchange reconstruction projects: • North Nevada Avenue and Rockrimmon Boulevard Interchanges (Exits 147 and 148): • Ackerman Overlook (Milepost 153): The The very unusual existing ramps at these two existing Ackerman Overlook will be replaced adjacent interchanges will be replaced by a by an improved overlook approximately 2,300 signalized split-diamond configuration feet north of the existing facility. connected by collector-distributor roads. This will replace the well-known left-lane off-ramp • Corporate Center Drive (Exit 147 A): The connecting southbound I-25 to North Nevada existing southbound-only ramps at this exit Avenue with a right-lane off-ramp that is more will be closed, with access replaced via a local consistent with driver expectations. street connection to the reconfigured Nevada/ Additionally, the revised configuration will Rockrimmon Interchange. provide new connectivity between Nevada • Garden of the Gods Road (Exit 146): Minor Avenue and Rockrimmon Boulevard. geometric changes will be made at this exit. • Fillmore Street Interchange (Exit 145): A single-point urban interchange over I-25 will Congestion Management/TSM replace the existing diamond interchange that Several congestion management strategies currently includes a six-legged intersection (including transportation system management, or with Chestnut Street. This will include TSM) are included in the Proposed Action. TSM realignment of Chestnut (west of I-25) and strategies from the PPACG Congestion Sinton Road (east of I-25) away from the I-25 Management System Plan (an element of the ramps, thereby significantly improving traffic regional transportation plan) were evaluated as flow across I-25 on heavily traveled Fillmore part of the I-25 Mode Feasibility Alternatives Street. Analysis. These strategies do not add capacity but • Bijou Street and Cimarron Street instead promote more efficient use of existing Interchanges (Exits 142 and 141): These two capacity: closely-spaced interchanges are main access • Acceleration/Deceleration Lanes: Existing points into the Colorado Springs Central substandard on-ramps and off-ramps will be Business District east of I-25. Each replaced with longer ramps that allow more interchange so strongly affects the other that time and distance for safe merging onto or off they were considered as a single interchange of the freeway. Where warranted, on-ramps complex for purposes of identifying and the subsequent off-ramps will be appropriate new configurations. The existing connected by continuous Bijou Street diamond interchange will be acceleration/deceleration lanes. replaced with a tight diamond configuration featuring longer and straighter on-ramps and • Freeway Ramp Metering: I-25 on-ramps will off-ramps. The existing Cimarron Interchange be designed to accommodate future ramp features a low-speed loop with tight curvature metering operations, to be integrated with the as the southbound I-25 off-ramp to US freeway’s incident management program, Highway 24. This configuration will be described below. 2-4 • Incident Management Program: I-25 mainline importance on bicycle/pedestrian crossings over or and interchange reconstruction will include under the freeway. Some of these crossings will be incident detection and response infrastructure rebuilt as part of major interchange reconstruction consistent with the existing system in the corridor projects. Other crossings (particularly those Specifically, the project will include surveillance following drainages using culverts or bridges) will cameras, detector loops, and variable message be replaced or modified in conjunction with signs, all connected with the City’s Traffic mainline freeway widening. The roadway Operations Center. improvements will be designed to maintain existing bicycle and pedestrian crossings, and to Transit and accommodate proposed trail crossings wherever Park-and-Ride Accommodation feasible. As noted previously, the Proposed Action includes The Proposed Action will maintain or improve HOV lanes that will be reserved in peak periods bicycle, pedestrian, and multi-modal trail for use by buses and carpools only. The HOV crossings of I-25. The following improvements are lanes are intended to provide a travel speed included: advantage to transit buses and carpools, an incentive that could induce more use of these • Baptist Road (Exit 158): Where no modes. Currently, only two express buses use I-25 bicycle/pedestrian crossing exists today, (Route 91 – Union Express and Route 94 – sidewalks will be added to link users of the Monument Express). The region’s long-range Jackson Creek Trail (east of I-25) to the New transportation plan calls for expansion of transit Santa Fe Trail (west of I-25). services throughout the urbanized area. • North Gate Boulevard (Exit 156): Where no The proposed new Park-and-Ride locations bicycle/pedestrian crossing exists today, a identified in 1997 were re-evaluated in a new multi-use trail can be provided to link the study, the Pikes Peak Regional Park and Ride Smith Creek Trail to the trailhead of the New Plan, completed in early 2003. The new study Santa Fe Trail on the grounds of the U.S. Air identified recommended areas, or “corridors,” for