The El Paso County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved a resolution that could accelerate the completion of Powers Boulevard, a prioritized regional road project that would be the last link in a new loop of major roadways around Colorado Springs.

The resolution executes an agreement between the county, City of Colorado Springs, the Copper Ridge Metropolitan District and the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority. The agreement paves the way for the city and county to reimburse the metro district for improvements it plans to make ahead of the PPRTA’s current anticipated funding schedule on Powers Boulevard, extending the road from where it now ends at Colorado 83 to Voyager Parkway.

Once complete, the extension will complete a loop involving Interstate 25 to the west, South Academy Boulevard and Milton E Proby Parkway to the south, Powers Boulevard to the east and Voyager Parkway to the north.

Commissioners said the final link would alleviate heavy congestion along Interquest Parkway caused by Flying Horse, Northgate and other northeastern county residents trying to reach I-25.

“Our community has needed a half-circle loop that travels around the eastern side of El Paso County, we’ve needed it for a long time,” Commissioner Stan VanderWerf said. “This takes us one giant step closer to that.”

The PPRTA Board of Directors and Colorado Springs City Council also approved the four-way agreement this summer.

A major advantage of the agreement, said county engineer Joshua Palmer, is that it will allow the project to start potentially years before PPRTA funding for the project would be available.

The earliest regional funding may be available would be 2025, he said.

“Being able to construct the project now, as opposed to maybe piecemealing it out and phasing it over multiple years, decreases the impact to project schedules and budgets,” Palmer said.

Copper Ridge Metropolitan District has already overseen and completed building the interchange at Interstate 25 and Voyager Parkway, and a Voyager and Powers interchange is now its priority for construction, he said.

Per the agreement, Colorado Springs and El Paso County will reimburse the district for the improvements by using a portion of PPRTA revenues. Initially, the district will issue bonds to pay for the work. The city will then spend $72 million and the county will spend $31 million over 10 years, for the funding period between 2025 through 2034, to reimburse the metro district its costs, Palmer said.

The city and county would only reimburse the metro district for approved engineering and construction costs, and the city will review and approve all related costs before issuing reimbursement payments, he said.

Once other priority regional transportation projects are completed, there could be an additional $18.5 million in PPRTA funds available for the Powers Boulevard extension. If the city finds another way to fully or partially fund a project that will upgrade Marksheffel Road from Woodmen Road to North Carefree Circle, up to another $18.5 million could be available for the Powers Boulevard extension, he said.

A map of the Powers Boulevard extension, from Interquest to Voyager parkways.

the Gazette file