Wow! The El Paso County Engineer has green-lighted an $8 million Traffic Signal at Meridian and Rex Road that will not improve intersection safety, as attested by their own traffic study.
In October 2020, their traffic consultants, AECOM, told the County, in their report, that “… most crashes were reported as careless driving and were not the type of collision that may be prevented by signalizing the Rex Road and Meridian Road intersection.” Hmmm … No Safety Improvement to be expected after spending $8 million on a Traffic Signal.
So, what are we getting for $8 million? Expanded Four Lanes to nowhere, 18 months of construction congestion, elimination of all trees on the roadside, increased noise for adjacent residents, a squeezed-in walking path within meters of high speed traffic, and a safety bottleneck, due to widening, as three traffic lanes merge at 55 mph into one lane on Northbound Meridian, as it approaches Pikes Peak School of Expeditionary Learning.
It is my opinion that the County could save nearly $5 million dollars by sending this project “Back to the drawing board.
The County Engineer should 1) Eliminate widening (Saving 2.6 Million), 2) Simplify the signal to resemble the Black Forest Rd – Burgess Rd Signal, (saving 1.4 Million), and 3) Avoid related Utilities Work ($1 million). Money saved should be used to improve the traffic safety near the school.
Respectfully,
Gregory P Sullivan
