El Paso County, with help from the Colorado Department of Transportation, is working on the future of trails in the northern part of the county.The El Paso County Board of County Commissioners approved an intergovernmental agreement with CDOT for a trail easement on its right-of-way near the intersection of state Highway 83 and Shoup Road.The trail easement is approximately 500 yards and will serve as a link between the county’s Santa Fe Trail, the city of Colorado Spring’s trail system at the Flying Horse sub-division, and the county’s trail system to the east. The new trail will eventually connect to northern parks such as the Black Forest Regional Park. The trail will pass below Highway 83, providing safer access for the region’s trail system.This project is a part of the El Paso County Park and Leisure Services Department’s 2005 capital improvement program approved by the county commissioners. Parks is working on the installation of a pedestrian bridge over Black Squirrel Creek, which is also located near the intersection of Shoup Road and state Highway 83. The bridge abutments were installed by CDOT during its Hwy. 83 improvement project. The eighty-foot, prefabricated bridge will be installed by the county.
