Charter Oak Ranch Road Improvement Component

Project Complete!

Charter Oak Ranch Road is accessible off I-25 via Santa Fe Avenue (US 85) and is the only access to Gate 19 of Fort Carson, the region’s largest employer.

In 2009, Charter Oak Ranch Road was designated by the U.S. Department of the Army as important to national defense. More than 40 percent of the traffic along Charter Oak Ranch Road is heavy vehicles, and the road is characterized by crumbling pavement, poor drainage, steep grade, narrow lanes, and no facilities for cyclists or pedestrians.

The Charter Oak Ranch Road improvements comprise the following three main elements:

  • Roadway Improvements
  • Drainage Improvements
  • Structural Improvements

Charter Oak Ranch Road

Project Benefits

Due to the poor quality of Charter Oak Ranch Road, it is not used heavily by personnel entering Fort Carson; rather, they are using Gate 20 (approximately 4 miles to the north). In turn, the disproportional use of Gate 20 by personnel avoiding Charter Oak Ranch Road has led to backups at the former, some of which regularly extend to the I-25 off-ramps.

El Paso County estimates that improving Charter Oak Ranch Road will remove approximately one fourth of the trips to Fort Carson Gate 20, improving safety along the I-25 corridor and generating time savings for the post’s personnel.