El Paso County residents invited to comment on South Powers extension
El Paso County residents can now share their feedback on a plan to extend South Powers Boulevard to Interstate 25.
In the spring of 2022 the county teamed up with the Colorado Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration to initiate a study that plans for extending South Powers Boulevard (Colorado 21) from Mesa Ridge Parkway, where it currently ends, to I-25, south of Fountain.
The study’s goal is to preserve the corridor, identify limited access points to the highway, plan for bike and pedestrian use, plan for corridor crossings and provide predictability for anticipated development in the area, according to a virtual open house on the project.
This map shows the recommended options for connecting South Powers Boulevard (Colorado 21) from Mesa Ridge Parkway in Fountain, where it currently ends, to Interstate 25.
As part of the planning process, officials developed a range of possible options for connecting South Powers to I-25 and have recommended two. The first option would connect the roadways just north of the BNSF rail line near Generation Drive and Ray Nixon Road in Fountain. The second option would connect South Powers to I-25 farther south, near the Pikes Peak International Raceway.
Residents can now learn more about the study and the two recommended connections, and share their thoughts on the project through the virtual open house available online at southpowersstudy.com. Residents have through Feb. 19 to submit their feedback.
Extending South Powers to the interstate will enhance mobility across the Pikes Peak region by providing that connection as well as increasing access to future east and west routes, and adding an alternate route to other destinations, according to the virtual open house. The extension will also serve future demand as El Paso County continues to grow.
Powers runs about 20 miles from InterQuest Parkway and Colorado 83 in northern Colorado Springs to Mesa Ridge Parkway in Fountain. Since 1963, it has been planned as an alternate route for I-25 along Colorado Springs’ eastern edge. The critical roadway provides access to five military installations, serves as a north-south thoroughfare for rapid development in eastern Colorado Springs and provides direct access to the Colorado Springs Airport and its business park.
Local officials anticipate the Colorado Department of Transportation will obtain and manage South Powers Boulevard as a state highway once it connects to I-25, according to open house documents.
The project is still in the early stages. Officials anticipate the study will be completed this year, with design and environmental clearances completed over about two years. Once the project is designed, construction could begin in the next five to 10 years and the final corridor could be completed between 2044-2074, the open house presentation states.
No funding has currently been identified for the South Powers extension, but El Paso County officials and other agencies will identify potential funding sources including grants for design and environmental permitting.
Work is also currently ongoing to extend North Powers Boulevard from Colorado 83 to Voyager Parkway, which connects to I-25.