On July 28, representatives from various offices within the government of El Paso County convened at the Patriot Learning Center in Falcon to present information on ongoing and future projects throughout the Falcon area.Andre Brackin, county engineer for EPCís public services department, told the audience what to expect. ìThe goal of this meeting is to get the information out there, so it isnít a surprise when you see us out there and wonder why weíre doing what weíre doing,î Brackin said.The following projects were discussed.Falcon HighlandsAn ongoing project involves road upgrades and maintenance in the Falcon Highlands subdivision, south of Woodmen and west of Walmart, Brackin said. The roads in that area need to be brought up to county standards so the county can include them with their routine maintenance schedule, he said. To do that, Brackin said work must be done, where necessary. The work includes adding concrete curbs and gutters, adding a concrete sidewalk where needed, patching asphalt, overlay for asphalt and reinforcing the sub-grade soft spots on the asphalt.New Meridian Road extensionJennifer Irving, engineering manager for the public services department, presented information on the planned extension for New Meridian Road, which will continue past Rolling Thunder Way, where it currently ends at a stoplight. The road will curve around and intersect with U.S. Highway 24; a new stoplight will be installed, and the road will continue until it intersects with Old Meridian Road, to the south of the highway, she said. The extension will create a triangular area of land that the county plans to make into a Park & Ride.Falcon Park & RideThe Falcon Park & Ride will allow drivers to leave their vehicles in Falcon and ride into Colorado Springs via bus or carpool, Irving said. Long-term plans call for busses to begin making trips out to Falcon again, she said. The intersection of Swingline Road and Old Meridian Road will be made into a round-about, and Swingline Road will extend to the west of Old Meridian Road and intersect with the New Meridian Road extension, Irving said.U.S. Highway 24 and Old Meridian Road intersectionThe existing stoplight at the intersection of U.S. Highway 24 and Old Meridian Road will be torn down and become a right-in-right-out intersection, where drivers can only turn right onto Old Meridian Road or onto U.S. Highway 24, Irving said.Attendees at the meeting voiced concern that the right-in-right-out intersection would make travel in Falcon more difficult in that area. Brackin said stoplights must be a certain distance from each other; and, with the new one going in at the future intersection of New Meridian and the highway, the right-in-right-out seemed like the best option. ìWe canít pick and choose the access points along Highway 24,î he said. ìThatís a state-dictated issue.îConstruction on the New Meridian Road extension, the Falcon Park & Ride and the U.S. Highway 24 and Old Meridian Road intersection will start in late 2016 or early 2017. It will take about two years to complete, Brackin said.Old Meridian Road and McLaughlin Road intersectionThe awkward intersection of Old Meridian Road and McLaughlin Road is going to be changed to a round-about, Irving said. Attendees voiced concern that there will not be enough space for commercial trucks servicing the businesses in the area to navigate the intersection. Brackin said the public services department will consider the concerns, as well as the travel issues for pedestrians and bicyclists. Construction on the round-about is set to begin in 2016, Irving said.Stapleton Road East extensionThe extension of Stapleton Road southeast to Judge Orr is about 1 mile long and is currently ongoing, Irving said. The entire Stapleton extension project will eventually create an east-west connection from Interstate 25 to U.S. Highway 24, and will cost about $5.2 million, all of which is funded through the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority, Irving said.Falcon Regional ParkElaine Kleckner, planning manager for the El Paso County Parks and Leisure Services Department, provided an update on the progress of the planned 215-acre park, located north of Falcon High School. ìWe want this to be a full-fledged regional park with a wide variety of opportunities,î she said. Although the county could not secure funding through the Great Outdoors Colorado grant, Kleckner said the county plans to start the project on time and hopes to complete it by June 2016.Falcon Regional Trail connectionsTrailhead improvement projects are planned for the section of trail near the High Prairie Library and U.S. Highway 24, Kleckner said. The plans include repairs to the existing bridge in the area so it is once again passable. Plans also include extending the trail from the existing Rock Island Trailhead Park north to McLaughlin Road, she said.The department has a budget of $96,028 to work on making the proposed regional trail connections in the Falcon area, Kleckner said.Rock Island Trail repairsBecause of the heavy rains during the late spring and summer months, Kleckner said the parks and leisure services department estimated that $100,000 in damages were sustained to the Rock Island Trail in Falcon. The July 17 Federal Disaster Declaration will bring funding to repair damages that occurred through June 16, which should apply to a 175-foot section of the creek bank along the trail that eroded. Other damages that occurred after June 16 will need to be funded from other sources, Kleckner said.Eastonville Road improvementsPlanning for improvements and maintenance for sections of Eastonville Road in disrepair will begin next year, with construction starting in 2017, Brackin said.
