History

The Woodmen Road Corridor has undergone significant changes over the past few decades. What was once a rural gravel road has now become one of the major arterial roads in El Paso County. This change is the result of the significant population growth and development in this area.

In the late 1990’s, a re-evaluation of the transportation plan for Woodmen Road became necessary due to the significant change and growth in the corridor. It was also clear that Woodmen Road, being a major east-west corridor in the city, needed to be addressed in the context of the city’s overall east-west mobility.

East-West Mobility Study

Therefore, in response to recommendations made in the City Strategic Plan, City Intermodal Transportation Plan and the 2020 Regional Plan, the East-West Mobility Study began in 2000. The East-West Mobility Study was conducted by the City of Colorado Springs to develop a community-based recommendation for addressing the City's east-west mobility needs. The recommendations focused on east-west corridors bounded by I-25 on the west, Woodmen Road on the north, Martin Luther King Boulevard/US 24 Bypass on the south, and Powers Boulevard on the east.

Recommendations to update the City's Intermodal Transport Plan (ITP) were made as a result of the East-West Mobility Study. These recommendations were presented to the Planning Commission during the June 6th, 2002 meeting, in the form of a proposed amendment to the ITP. The amendment to the ITP was approved by the Planning Commission, with two revisions, and was forwarded to City Council for approval. The Planning Commission's recommendations were presented to City Council on July 23rd, 2002. As a result, City Council approved Ordinance #02-120. For a copy of this ordinance, please contact the City Clerk's office at 385-5901.

Woodmen Road Corridor Improvement Project

In the spring of 2002, the City of Colorado Springs and El Paso County began the Woodmen Road Corridor Improvement Project. This combined the city and county portions of the corridor into one project extending between I-25 and U.S. 24. The combined approach to this project was determined by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to be the best method to address the solution needed and potential impacts related to the project.

The Woodmen Road Corridor Improvement Project has developed a plan to address the traffic needs along Woodmen Road. These improvements will address the roadway safety and capacity deficiencies that exist today and that are projected into the future.
For the I-25 to Powers Blvd. segment, the plan has built on the recommendations that are accepted by City Council from the City
of Colorado Springs East-West Mobility Study.

View the PROPOSED ACTION

Environmental Process

The first key step in the process of developing a solution that best met the needs of the community and the requirements to expend the Federal Funds that have been acquired by the city for this project is to conduct an Environmental Study per the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The Environmental Study began in 2002 and was completed with a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) in the
spring of 2007.

View the ENVIRONMENTAL_ASSESSMENT

View the FONSI

For information about the corridor's three project phases
click the links below.