Constitution Avenue extension in Colorado Springs won’t be among projects considered in PPRTA vote in November

Colorado Springs City Council agreed Tuesday to endorse a ballot initiative that will ask voters to renew part of the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority tax. The initiative will include a list of transportation projects to be paid for by the tax.

But a feasibility study focusing on connecting Constitution Avenue to Interstate 25 in Colorado Springs will not be among the prioritized projects. City Council president Tom Strand made the announcement at a council work session Monday. 

The $2.5 million study was initially listed as a “priority A” project, meaning it would have been fully funded by the PPRTA before other projects.  

Strand said that city council heard concerns from more than 200 residents about the project list, with most referring to the Constitution Avenue extension. 

He went on to say that the study has been removed from the list of potential projects, adding that, “I just want people to know that your voices have been heard.”

Voters will still have the chance to vote on the future of the PPRTA tax and a list of associated projects in November. The approval by the council allows the city to bring its list of projects to the PPRTA, which will submit a final ballot initiative to the city clerk before the November vote. 

The PPRTA is a collaborative effort between Colorado Springs, Manitou Springs, Green Mountain Falls, Ramah, Calhan and unincorporated El Paso County. It utilizes a one-cent sales tax to fund transportation projects in the region.

All projects funded by the PPRTA must be included in writing on the ballot to receive tax money, and the portion of the tax used for large capital projects must be renewed every ten years. The ballot measure considered for this November would extend the capital projects tax through 2034. 

Some of the projects that city council endorsed for the November ballot measure include:

• Midland Trail improvements
• City-wide traffic signal improvements
• Bikeway improvements
• Pikes Peak Greenway improvements
• Patty Jewett Trail construction - Cache la Poudre to Patty Jewett Golf Course
• Bridge improvements