In January, the Colorado Department of Transportation installed flexible temporary delineators between the eastbound and westbound lanes of traffic on Highway 24 at Blue Gill Drive, near Judge Orr Road in eastern El Paso County.Michelle Peulen, CDOT communications manager, said the delineators were installed to prevent traffic headed westbound on Highway 24 from turning left onto Blue Gill Drive.ìWhen people were making left-hand turns before the delineators were put up, it was actually an illegal left-hand turn,î Puelen said. ìWhen they would stop to turn, it would back up traffic. That was a big safety concern, and it was causing quite a bit of congestion.îAccording to the Model Traffic Code for Colorado posted on CDOTís website, a left-hand turn is permitted in such an area and also over a double yellow line, when such a move can be made safely and without interfering with, impeding or engendering other traffic lawfully using the highway.When it was constructed, the intersection was originally designed to be a right-in-right-out only, meaning they never intended to allow left turns from the westbound lanes of Highway 24, Peulen said.Dave Rolenc, a resident of the county who lives east of the intersection, said he is concerned for the businesses along Blue Gill Drive. Their customers heading into Falcon from the east have no way to reach them. ìThese businesses do get hurt; and if they end up going under because of it, it is a loss to our community,î he said.The businesses along Blue Gill include Tire King, Reptile Food & More and Smith Farms.Peulen said CDOT is sympathetic to the concerns of the business owners in the area, and is working with them to figure out a solution and potentially change the configuration of that intersection. However, the department does not have the funding to undertake such a project at this time, she said.Rolenc said he is also concerned that confusion about how to get to those businesses is causing additional safety issues. ìPeople either have to go into Falcon or they slow down and pull over to try to figure out how to get to those businesses,î he said. Some drivers make an illegal U-turn beyond the delineators, which is dangerous as well, Rolenc said.Peulen said CDOT worked with the county and the Colorado State Patrol prior to installing the delineators, and determined it was the best course of action to address the congestion and potential for accidents.According to CDOTís website, the department conducted a Planning and Environmental Linkages study from April 2016 through March 2018 to plan for potential improvements to Highway 24 between Powers Boulevard in Colorado Springs and the town of Ramah. That study identified two potential alternatives to the current road alignment in the area: realign Blue Gill to intersect with Judge Orr Road and remove where Blue Gill intersects with Highway 24.Funding for those potential improvements and many of the others identified in the PEL study has not yet been secured, Peulen said.ìWe do not want to inconvenience anyone, but as drivers, we are all accountable to following the rules of the road to keep everyone safe,î she said. ìWe are still working with Colorado State Patrol and the county for ways to enhance that intersection in the long term.î
