Residents near High Chaparral Open Space were concerned about people driving over the trails and dirt to park illegally on the ridge. They contacted the Trails and Open Space Coalition, and we acted as an intermediary with the City Parks Department to provide a solution.
Scott Abbott with the Parks Department was very responsive, and had boulders placed around the entrance to block people from driving on the sidewalk and trails.
It’s time to talk Bike Share!The Downtown Partnership is in full-fledged planning mode to bring PikeRide, 208 bikes at 26 stations, throughout the Greater Legacy Loop Area in Downtown Colorado Springs.
Come out for one of two information sessions at 1 p.m. or 6 p.m., January 31, 2018 in the Carnegie Room at Penrose Library in Downtown, Colorado Springs.
Alex Armani-Munn, Economic Vitality Coordinator, Downtown Partnership, will give a 20-30 minute presentation, followed by a Q & A session.
If you want to work on trails and lead projects this may be the training for you. Space is limited so apply early. Applicants must have trails work experience, agree to a background check (no cost) and participate in two post-training work days.
Crew Leader Training is hosted by the Trails and Open Space Coalition, RMFI, Friends of the Peak and the City of Colorado Springs.
Traffic Division announces North End street changes
The Traffic Engineering Division Manager announced changes to streets in the north end. Affected will be Cascade Avenue–including the Uintah/Cascade intersection–Weber Street, and Fontanero,
Cascade will be restriped with one through lane in each direction from Boulder to Jackson. Uintah will be resriped in the spring to add a center left turn lane between Nevada and El Paso.
The City has gathered feedback from previous meetings and will present the recommendations over the course of two meetings. Some proposals from the last meeting include: locked gates at night, adding Park Police, and paving Gold Camp Rd and making it a city road (instead of US Forest Service). Join the conversation!
The Feb 1 meeting will have a focus on trails in N Cheyenne Cañon.
The Guardians of Palmer Park invite you to join them this coming Saturday morning to pick up trash and dog waste in the park. (They do not plan to do trail maintenance activities until warmer weather.) They will start gathering in the parking area near the Maizeland entrance of the park around 9 a.m.
This Sat, February 3, our friend and partner Hiking Bob will be signing copies of his book, “Hiking Bob’s Tips, Tricks and Trails.” It’s a great resource for everyone who loves to hit the trails.
It’s at Trails End Taproom so you can choose from 40 different taps–beer, wine, or cider–to quench your thirst.
Winter Bike to Work Day Feb 9
Our Friends at Kids on Bikes will be set up at the Popcycle Bridge along the Greenway trail Friday, Feb 9, 7- 9am, providing encouragement and some potential goodies for all of you hardy winter bike commuters. Facebook event.
If you’d like to commit to ride and show the world what a great cycling city Colorado Springs is, consider signing up here: https://winterbiketoworkday.org/. You can also register for a gift exchange to be matched with someone else biking to work that day.
ONGOING TRAIL AND PARK CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
Cottonwood trail project has begun
Construction on the Academy Boulevard bridge over Cottonwood Creek begins soon. Watch for traffic impacts on Academy south of York as crews have already started relocating utilities.
This important project will add a long-awaited connection to the Cottonwood Creek Trail under Academy Boulevard.
The United States Air Force Academy will begin a large scale construction project at the South Gate Bridge between January 2018 and June 2019. This construction activity will impact the New Santa Fe Regional Trail.
The New Santa Fe Trail will remain open through the construction site, but will be routed through a metal connex box tunnel. There will be periodic trail closures at the South Gate Bridge.
Two flood restoration projects moving forward on Fountain Creek Trail.
Two damaged stretches of the Fountain Creek Regional Trail will see repairs in the first quarter of this year.
A 400-foot section of the trail near Camping World will be relocated away from the creek. The trail is currently closed. It will reopen in February after construction is completed. No detour is available.
A 300-foot section will be constructed and the creek bank reinforced at the Maxwell St trailhead. This trail is currently open. Trail will be closed for 1-2 weeks during construction; a detour during non-working hours will be available.
