County oversight needed
On the morning of April 24, Owl Place residents went about their daily routine, going to work, doctor’s appointments, shopping, etc. But, when they attempted to return home, they faced a conundrum, the only access to their street off of Meridian Road was closed.
How could the entrance and exit to a county road in existence since 1972 suddenly be closed, without residents or emergency services first being notified? No doubt it has something to do with the county’s policy of developers being in charge of building new roads. After all, it’s the job of the developer of Owl Marketplace to reroute Owl Place.
But El Paso County has some culpability here, too, due to its lack of oversight of this project. That absence of involvement leaves Owl Place residents without a safe entrance to their property. After entering Falcon Market Place from Meridian Road, they must execute a right turn out of the circle, where neither the curbing nor the dirt track has been adequately prepared to safely enter or exit.
I’m hoping sometime before the Owl Marketplace project is completed, a satisfactory right-turn lane will be added to the circle. However, for now, the chance of being involved in a rear-end collision seems to have increased greatly for the residents. Few drivers entering the shopping center circle expect the driver in front of them to slow down in order to make a quick right-hand turn onto a crude dirt road that goes through a construction site.
A sign or two would greatly improve this situation: First, a sign warning drivers who are entering the King Soopers shopping center from Meridian Road to proceed slowly. Second, and much needed, a sign indicating how to enter Owl Place.
A month since the road has been rerouted, visitors and delivery drivers are still in a quandary. Where did Owl Place go? Should I really be driving through this construction site to get there? The road is still there; it’s just the county, or developer, hasn’t bothered to put up a sign to let people know how to find it.
While the local government places the burden of paying for new roads on the developer; it should never forfeit its obligation of overseeing the process. To do so, leads to the situation now being experienced by Owl Place residents.
-Kathy Hare
UPDATE:
Editor’s note: On May 29, I spoke with Scott Anderson, manager of communications and public relations for El Paso County. He talked to a member of the public works team about Owl Place and the difficulties getting in and out of the area. Scott said the public works team is working with three different contractors, which often creates challenges to managing the development of the area. Scott told me that on May 28, the county inspected the site and concluded that they will do the following: add signage to alleviate confusion and have inspectors at the site on a daily basis to monitor the situation and help with traffic control.
Marylou Bride
