SBCT Final EIS - Govsupport.us

Chapter 3 ⎯ Affected Environmentcommercial transport truck. The use of the Heavy Equipment Transporter System in support of deploymentsbetween FTC and the PCMS is prohibited by CDOT. To reduce traffic conflicts, currentmilitary convoy movements are scheduled to avoid peak traffic periods in the Pueblo metropolitanarea.Traffic volumes on the PCMS road network vary widely between training deployment and nondeploymentperiods. During non-deployment periods, traffic on the PCMS is limited to a small numberof maintenance and administrative vehicles, and traffic on the main entrance road is limited tolight administrative and maintenance-related traffic totaling fewer than 25 vehicles per day (DPW2006).3.3.7 SOCIOECONOMICS, ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE, AND PROTECTION OFCHILDREN3.3.7.1 Fort CarsonThe ROI for the Proposed Action at FTC comprises four counties: El Paso, Fremont, Pueblo, andTeller. The cantonment area of FTC, where most of the construction activity would be concentrated,is located in southern El Paso County. Virtually the entire Colorado Springs urbanized area is locatednorth of the post and contained within El Paso County. Adjacent portions of surrounding counties arealso a part of the Colorado Springs functional economic region, including Fremont County to thesouthwest, Pueblo County to the south, and Teller County to the west.PopulationThe population of the ROI totaled 773,881 in 2004, an increase of more than 209,000 since 1980(USACE 2007a). Two large communities are located within the ROI: the City of Colorado Springs,located north of FTC, with a population of just more than 380,000 in 2004; and the City of Pueblo,located southeast of FTC, with a population in 2004 of more than 104,000 residents (USACE 2007a).More than 4,800 civilian workers are employed at FTC (appropriated, non-appropriated, contractor,and others). Assuming each is a head of household, this would represent a population of more than12,500 persons (applying an average household size of 2.61 as reported in the 2000 Census). The20,145 active duty military personnel are accompanied by nearly 41,300 dependents, which results ina total connected population of 74,000 persons, or nearly 10 percent of the entire 2004 population ofthe ROI.During 2005, slightly more than 15,000 persons lived at FTC. This number was composed of 7,400active duty military personnel (of which 4,600 were unaccompanied personnel residing in barracksand 2,800 who were living in military family housing) and just more than 7,770 family members (alsoresiding in the family housing; DECAM 2005b).Many of the active duty military personnel (and their dependents) reside off post within the residentialareas closest to the installation. Nearly 70 percent of off-post personnel reside within the residentialareas in El Paso County nearest to FTC.Economy, Employment, and IncomeThe largest employers in El Paso County are the major military installations, with the proportion ofmilitary employment in the county being much higher than the ROI and the state. Five major militaryinstallations are within the ROI including FTC, U.S. Air Force Academy, Schriever AFB, PetersonAFB, and the Cheyenne Mountain Air Station. These installations are important to the health and sta-February 2008 3–161 2/25th SBCT Final EIS