The El Paso County Department of Transportation held an informational meeting May 9 on the Hodgen Road Corridor Improvements Project. More than 100 people attended the meeting at the Black Forest Community Center.According to the DOTís Web site, the purpose of the project is to upgrade Hodgen Road to a minor arterial road from State Highway 83 to Eastonville Road. The countyís consultant for the project is URS Corporation.John McCarty, director of the El Paso DOT, told the audience that the projectís objectives include improving safety and sight distance, addressing access issues from private property, adding bike lanes, bringing the existing road up to current engineering standards and addressing drainage deficiencies.Construction is not expected to begin until late 2008 or early 2009 and is scheduled to last for 12 to 18 months, McCarty said. The plan consists of several phases, starting at Highway 83 and moving east along Hodgen Road toward Eastonville Road.The project plan calls for 100 feet of right-of-way from the center line of Hodgen Road. McCarty said the county currently has 60 feet of right-of-way, so the county will have to negotiate with property owners for an additional 20 feet on each side of the road. The plan also calls for extending Hodgen Road from Eastonville Road to Elbert Road, cutting through several parcels of privately owned grazing land.McCarty presented two versions of the plan: the ìmaximumî plan, estimated at $32.3 million dollars, and the ìminimumî plan, estimated at $23.6 million. The plans vary regarding the width of paved roads, but both plans require 100 feet of right-of-way.In about a year, McCarty said, the county will present property owners with an appraisal based on market conditions at the time. If owners want a second opinion, they can hire their own appraiser at the countyís expense.If there is a difference in the dollar amount between the two appraisals, the county will negotiate with the owners on a price. If no resolution is reached, the county will send the owners a final and best offer. If the owners do not agree, the county will go to court and initiate eminent domain procedures. ìThe court would be the ultimate determiner,î McCarty said.ìThis will not be like Milam Road,î McCarty said, referring to the use of eminent domain to take property from homeowners to build a road that provides access to the Cathedral Pines development.As planned, the project will leave Hodgen Road in place, but some tight curves may be smoothed. The plan calls for leveling hilltops and filling valleys.During the question and answer session, most of the comments from the audience were negative.Several audience members objected to the plan based on safety, many stated that people routinely drive 70 miles per hour in spite of posted speed limits of 45 and 55. They said eliminating hills and valleys will encourage people to drive faster. McCarty said it is up to the sheriffís department to enforce traffic speed. ìSpeed limits are set to the 85th percentile of what people are driving,î he said.One person suggested that four-way stop signs should be installed where Meridian and Vollmer roads cross Hodgen Road. McCarty said they canít place stop signs just to slow traffic. ìWe have to meet warrant requirements,î he said. ìIf a stop sign is not warranted and there is a crash, lawyers can sue the county.îAnother audience member suggested putting in a signal where Hodgen Road connects with Highway 83. McCarty said the county has no jurisdiction regarding state highways. ìWe can work with CDOT, but canít guarantee it,î he said.It was suggested that restoring the rumble strips (grooves in the pavement) eliminated by recent repaving could slow speeders. McCarty said homeowners near the rumble strips objected to noise caused by the strips, so the county did not put them in.McCarty said they would have to turn Hodgen Road back to gravel in order to slow down speeders. The audience cheered at the suggestion.The county also could post signs against the use of compression brakes but that would have to go before the county commissioners for approval, he said.There are plans in the works to improve County Line Road. McCarty also said Hodgen Road has been identified as an east/west arterial road since 1985.Problems associated with deer and elk crossings and currently deteriorating roadwork were other concerns brought up at the meeting.McCarty said the project will have a two-year warranty.Because the project was listed as a part of the voter-approved Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority, McCarty said it would be difficult to stop it.ìOur goal is to build as much as we can with the available funds,î he said.Phil Hosmer of the Black Forest Citizenís Transportation Committee said his committee is not taking a position on the project at this time. He said members of the transportation department need to consider the publicís feedback before they present their plan to the county commissioners.For more information on the project, contact Alissa Were at the county at 719-520-6460 or e-mail her at alissawerre@elpasoco.com. Project maps and descriptions are available at http://adm.elpasoco.com/NR/exeres/6BD60D3A-F1FB-424F-851F-E371A80E511C,frameless.htm.
