US 24 Ute Pass Improvements from 8th Street to Woodland Park
CDOT and El Paso County have completed a series of transportation, safety and technology improvements along the US 24 / Ute Pass corridor, between 8th Street in Colorado Springs and Woodland Park which consisted of the following projects:
US 24 Fiber-Optic Installation
US 24 Fiber-Optic Installation – Over 17 miles of fiber-optic cable installed between the City of Woodland Park and Interstate-25 / Cimarron Street in Colorado Springs.
US 24 Intersection Improvements at 31st Street and Ridge Road
Crews on this project installed new traffic signal poles and arms, and upgraded ADA ramps for accessibility and improved safety.
US 24 Rockfall Mitigation
Crews on this project removed rock and installed safety materials from the town of Cascade to the City of Manitou Springs.
Stone Wall Repairs Near Former Montessori School
This repair work, just southeast of Cascade, replaced a section of a stone wall damaged in 2015 by flooding.
US 24/Cascade Impacts to Access the Pikes Peak Highway
Crews on this project completed traffic-operation improvements to the intersection of Fountain Avenue and US 24 in Cascade.
Westside Avenue Action Plan (WAAP)
This collaborative community project brought to life a vision for 1.5 miles of the US 24 Business West interchange.
US 24 Emergency Culvert Repairs at Ruxton Avenue
In August and September 2018, crews replaced and repaired a culvert beneath at US 24 (Manitou Avenue) and Ruxton Avenue, following July storms.
US 24 Manitou Springs Resurfacing & Structural Improvements
Paving, intersection and structural improvements were made to US 24 in El Paso County, from 8th Street to west of Manitou Springs.
Crews are completing these projects proactively (not waiting for an emergency situation) through a measured response that minimizes impacts as much as possible and maximizes safety.
Coordination among CDOT, El Paso County, the City of Colorado Springs, Pikes Peak – America's Mountain, and the Colorado State Patrol will allow the team to stagger projects where possible and maximize strategies for better traffic flow along the US 24/Ute Pass corridor.
Accesses to businesses along the US 24/Ute Pass corridor—as well as along Colorado Avenue and in Manitou Springs—is being maintained.
Most of the project work focuses on the area between 31st Street and the town of Cascade. Numerous tourist attractions are along this corridor, which is a gateway from Colorado Springs to the communities of Woodland Park, Cripple Creek/Divide and the mountains. As such, this corridor is heavily traveled by more than 25,000 vehicles per day.
Estimates are that Pikes Peak – America's Mountain will see an additional 150,000 people on Pikes Peak Highway annually who would have previously taken the now-closed Cog Railway to the summit. Local jurisdictions are working together on upgrades and improvements along US 24/Ute Pass corridor to better handle these expected traffic volumes.
- Westbound motorists planning to access the Pikes Peak Highway to the summit of Pikes Peak should anticipate the left turn at Fountain Avenue and safely move to the left lane well in advance of the intersection. This will minimize traffic backups that occur with last-minute crossovers to make the left turn onto Fountain Avenue.
- When exiting the Pikes Peak Highway on Fountain Avenue and heading eastbound on US 24 toward Colorado Springs, use the right-turn merge lane onto Ute Pass Avenue (frontage road) prior to the intersection.
- Avoid distractions and pay attention to road and directional signs.
- Please allow additional time to reach your destination and call ahead for information on any lane reductions or detours that may be in place.
- Colorado State Patrol is assisting with traffic control on these projects. CDOT has also contracted uniformed traffic control officers when needed to direct and control vehicle and pedestrian traffic.
