SBCT Final EIS - Govsupport.us

Chapter 3 ⎯ Affected Environment3.3.6.1 Fort CarsonThis section describes the affected environment for transportation resources on and surrounding FTC.The FTC Comprehensive Transportation Study was completed in September 2005 (DPW 2005).FTC is located on the southern edge of the City of Colorado Springs and is bounded by I–25 andmixed uses to the east, SH 115 to the west, Academy Boulevard to the north, and privately owned undevelopedland to the south. The City of Pueblo is approximately 10 miles south of the southernboundary of the installation. I–25 is a north-south highway that bisects the Colorado Springs metropolitanarea and is a major north-south highway along Colorado’s Front Range. In addition to I–25,the primary north-south routes in Colorado Springs are along Academy Boulevard and PowersBoulevard. The Colorado Springs roadway network offers few continuous east-west routes, with thismovement primarily accommodated by Fountain Boulevard, Platte Boulevard, Austin Bluffs Parkway,and Woodmen Road. The only access from Colorado Springs to the west is on US 24, while theprimary access to the east of Colorado Springs is provided along US 24 and SH 94.The roadway network on FTC consists of 696 miles of roads, 266 miles of which are paved. Accessto FTC is provided through the following six active entry control points: Gates 1, 2, and 5 on SH 115;Gates 3 and 4 on Academy Boulevard; and Gate 20 on I–25 (USACE 2007a).Cantonment area roadways generally form a grid pattern that is laid out in a crescent shape fromnorthwest to southeast. Primary east-west access within the cantonment area to SH 115 is provided byO’Connell Boulevard and Titus Boulevard, while primary north-south access within the cantonmentis provided by one-way roads (Magrath Avenue and Barkeley Avenue). Butts Road, meanwhile, providesaccess from the cantonment to areas downrange (DPW 2005).The road network in the cantonment area is generally well maintained and adequate for supporting assignedmission activities. Nearly all major roads within the cantonment area have bituminous surfacesand are capable of accommodating all types of wheeled vehicles. The main roads downrange are unpavedand reasonably well maintained, while secondary downrange roads are maintained to varyingdegrees (DECAM 2002a).Based on the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments (PPACG) Regional Travel Demand Model(year 2000), FTC contributed approximately 62,000 trips to the regional roadway network daily(PPACG 2006a). Based on a 2005 travel survey (PPACG 2006b), much of the traffic generated byFTC is concentrated on roadways to and from several nearby residential areas in which large populationsof Soldiers reside off post, including the Fountain community to the east.According to the CDOT, there is sufficient excess roadway capacity along the majority of the segmentof I–25 between FTC and Pueblo. However, in the immediate proximity of FTC at SH 16, I–25is near capacity (CDOT 2006a) and SH 16 is currently operating at Level of Service (LOS) E (overcapacity). Reconstruction of SH 16 is currently proposed by CDOT.With the exception of Magrath Avenue and Barkeley Avenue, all FTC roadways have one lane foreach direction of travel. Magrath Avenue and Barkeley Avenue have two one-way lanes. Existingtraffic data indicate that congestion exists on select installation roadways during peak periods, andthat all signalized intersections operate at acceptable levels of service based on 2005 traffic volumes(DPW 2005).February 2008 3–159 2/25th SBCT Final EIS