In 2015, the City’s Public Works department made a promise to the community. That promise was to repave 1,000 lane miles in five years using dedicated sales tax funds that voters approved through ballot issue 2C.
Now, with a few more months to go in the fifth and final year to fulfill that promise, we’re incredibly pleased to report that mile 1,000 has been repaved.
And, we’re not done yet
Approximately 70 more miles are still set to be repaved before the end of the year. Stretched out in a straight line, those 1,070 total miles are approximately the same distance as Colorado Springs to Chicago.
The 2C program was built to resolve a massive and crumbling roadway infrastructure that suffered from decades of neglect caused in part by the lack of dedicated funding.
Paramount to the success of 2C has been:
- Unprecedented coordination with Colorado Springs Utilities and other city departments to more effectively time work flow;
- Contractors committed to quality and held accountable for their work;
- The equal distribution of improvements across the city;
- The strategy to tackle main arterial and collector roads first, closely followed by residential roads that are in bad shape;
- And, of course, a lot of patience from drivers navigating through the many cone zones that have become a hallmark of summer in Colorado Springs.
What’s next?
With 1,000 lane miles behind us, there are many more ahead.
Thanks to voters who recognized the success of the 2C program, a five-year extension begins in January at a slightly lower rate to taxpayers. By the end of 2025, we anticipate an additional 844 lane miles repaved. Like the first five years, repaving will take place throughout the city, but will shift gears to include more residential streets in addition to continued work on the main roads.
For more information on 2C and other work conducted by the Public Works department to improve your commute, visit ColoradoSprings.gov/2c.