By Pete Gawda
June was a record month for rainfall in El Paso County, resulting in a large number of road closings and bridge washouts. “June was an extremely wet month across Eastern Colorado with relentless heavy rainfall throughout the month,” according to the June 2023 Colorado Monthly Climate Survey published by the Colorado Climate Center of Colorado State University. “Elbert, Morgan, Lincoln, Douglas and El Paso counties all experienced their wettest June on record.”
According to the National Weather Service Office in Pueblo, a total of 1.47 inches of rain fell on Colorado Springs on June 11, a city record for that date. The Gazette reported that June 12 was one of the wettest days on record for Colorado Springs.
As of July 25, the total cost of road and bridge repairs in El Paso County because of the June storms is somewhere between $2 and $2.5 million, said Tim Stickel, who is with the El Paso County Public Works Department.
“We have it in our road and bridge fund to cover most of the damage,” said Jack Ladley, who is also with the public works department. However, the county has applied for a FEMA grant that could cover a portion of the costs. The bulk of expenses will come later as the permanent repairs to the damaged roads and bridges are completed, Ladley said.
At one time or another during the two storm events, he said there were over 40 roads closed. As of July 20, J.D. Johnson Road, south of Falcon Highway, was the only section of road still closed. Since there was no real residential impact caused by this road closure, the public works department is working with the engineering department to come up with a permanent solution.
As to the roads that were temporarily repaired, Ladley said, “We made them safe and accessible. The goal was to get them open as soon as possible using the most expedient methods.” He said there were two priorities for reopening roads: “Arterial roadways and those we could open quickly.
Photo by Walter Hillery
According to the National Weather Service Office in Pueblo, a total of 1.47 inches of rain fell on Colorado Springs on June 11, a city record for that date. During the June storms, more than 40 roads were closed.
