Proposed Action

The proposed action for US 24 West from I-25 to the Manitou Avenue Exit includes the following elements:

  • Maintain four through-lanes (two in each direction) between I-25 and 21st Street.
  • Add two through-lanes, between 21st Street and just west of Ridge Road, for a total of six through-lanes (three in each direction).
  • Replace nine bridges on US 24 and cross streets to accommodate the profile changes to US 24. Over Fountain Creek, these bridges would be built to comply with current state and  local standards to reduce flooding hazards in the study area.
  • Due to replacement of the nine bridges, realign and widen Fountain Creek at bridge crossings and locations where the roadway overlaps the existing channel to provide an armored low-flow channel and a widened stabilized area to accommodate the 100-year flood.
  • Build single-point diamond interchange (SPDI) with a loop ramp for eastbound-to-northbound travel at US 24 and I-25. This interchange design replaces the tight diamond interchange identified in the I-25 Improvements through the Colorado Springs Urbanized Area EA (CDOT, 2004). Since that EA was approved, traffic forecasts and future traffic operations have been revised by the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments (PPACG), making a SPDI design more efficient operationally.
  • Naegle Road from 21st Street to 25th Street would be closed because the intersection of 21st Street and Naegle Road is too close to the US 24 and 21st Street interchange. There is inadequate room to provide a turn lane for vehicles at Naegle Road.
  • The existing 25th Street bridge over Fountain Creek would be removed because it would no longer connect to Naegle Road and, therefore, provide no function. The existing 25th Street would be ended north of the Fountain Creek.
  • Replace the existing at-grade intersections with interchanges at 8th Street and at 21st Street, which also includes directional interchange ramps and acceleration/deceleration lanes.
  • Upgrade the US 24 and 26th Street at-grade intersection, which also includes left and right turn lanes.
  • Widen the intersection of US 24 and 31st Street. Widen the 31st Street and Colorado Avenue intersection. South of US 24, 31st Street would be rebuilt to better align with the highway intersection.
  • Replace the existing at-grade intersection with an overpass that carries US 24 over Ridge Road. Ridge Road would be widened between High Street and Colorado Avenue and improvements would be made to the Ridge Road and Colorado Avenue intersection.
  • All improvements tie into the unimproved, existing US 24 approximately 1,800 feet west of Ridge Road. Because neither existing nor future congestion is a problem between Ridge Road and Manitou Avenue, no changes to US 24 are proposed west of Ridge Road.
  • Build sidewalks on the north-south cross streets at all intersections and as a part of all interchanges.
  • Connect the Midland Trail from 21st to 25th Street, with north-south trail connections at each of the interchanges and intersections along the US 24 corridor. The trail would be built to meet the City of Colorado Spring’s trail design standards and to allow clearance under the bridges for bicycle, pedestrian, and equestrian crossings. Completing this east-west bicycle and pedestrian trail system was an opportunity resulting from the required roadway right-of-way acquisitions and the channel re-grading required by the bridge replacements. The trail would improve pedestrian and bicycle mobility in the study area and is consistent with community planning.
  • Incorporate Transportation System Management elements such as signal timing, turn lanes, and consideration for transit stops.