Congressman Lamborn Announces Massive Infrastructure Investment in Pikes Peak Region
November 6, 2019
Press Release
Contact: Cassandra Sebastian (719) 520-0055
Colorado Springs, CO - Today, the U.S. Department of Transportation notified Congressman Lamborn that Colorado's 5th Congressional District would be awarded a BUILD grant in the amount of $18,350,000.00. Congressman Lamborn issued the following statement:
"I am very pleased to announce that the U.S. Department of Transportation awarded a BUILD grant to fund infrastructure projects in the Pikes Peak region. This will increase our nation's military readiness due to the strategic nature of the missions conducted in our community. These projects will meet the needs of our growing economy and facilitate the expansion of necessary defense infrastructure. I commend the many state and local leaders who have diligently worked alongside me on this important issue. These projects are critical and will help alleviate transportation congestion and enhance the safety of the road networks that serve our military installations."
The grant will fund road infrastructure projects in El Paso County. It consists of four components: 1) improvements on an approximately nine-mile section of S.H. 94 from U.S. 24 to Enoch Road including additional westbound lanes, turn lanes, a signalized "jug handle" intersection, and fiber installation; 2) widening approximately 1.5 miles of South Academy Boulevard from the I-25 interchange to the Milton Proby Parkway approach including bridge widening and scour work, pavement mill and overlay, and sound walls; 3) approximately 7.5 miles of improvements on I-25 from South Academy Boulevard to the Santa Fe Avenue exit including replacing two bridges, adding median barriers, widening shoulders, and adding a deceleration lane at the SH 116 interchange; and 4) realigning and widening Charter Oak Ranch Road (Gate 19).
Congressman Lamborn has been working to secure this grant since 2017.
-Congressman Lamborn met with General Raymond, Commander of United States Space Command, in late 2018 to discuss what was needed to meet the current and future infrastructure needs to support growth at the four military bases located in the district.
-He then met with Governor Jared Polis in April of 2019 to request the Governor's support for the BUILD grant, coordinating with the Governor's office in a bipartisan effort to secure the grant. (Click here to see the letter Governor Polis later sent to Congressman Lamborn in support of the grant.)
-Congressman Lamborn then met with the U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Chao to discuss the matter and sent her a letter in support of the BUILD grant, emphasizing the need for infrastructure funding in the district.
-He then met with and coordinating with CDOT (Colorado Department of Transportation) to advocate for updating infrastructure in the Pikes Peak region.
-Throughout the process, Congressman Lamborn's staff have been in constant contact with the U.S. Department of Transportation, shepherding the BUILD grant for Colorado's Fifth Congressional District through the federal bureaucracy.
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