(COLORADO SPRINGS) — An area of Colorado Springs near Austin Bluffs Parkway and North Academy Boulevard that has seen chronic flooding issues will be annexed from El Paso County to allow for improvements to stormwater drainage.
The City of Colorado Springs Stormwater Enterprise (SWENT), in cooperation with El Paso County, is developing a plan to improve storm drainage in the Park Vista South Neighborhood.
The City said the planned improvements will address drainage and flooding issues that have historically impacted the Templeton Gap Floodway alignment, located between the western intersection of Siferd Boulevard and Date Street to Hopeful Drive.
Most of this area is currently within an unincorporated El Paso County enclave surrounded by the City of Colorado Springs, east of the intersection of Academy Boulevard and Austin Bluffs Parkway. The area was built to county rural specifications decades ago, and the drainage is not capable of handling current use, the City said.
El Paso County has approved an agreement to annex the rights-of-way in the Park Vista South area into the City of Colorado Springs. Transferring ownership responsibilities to the City will streamline maintenance and flood mitigation efforts.
The project’s anticipated cost of $11 million for design and construction is funded through a combination of El Paso County’s allotment of federal ARPA funds and SWENT funds from the City of Colorado Springs.
