The PPRTA budgets 35% of its project funding to maintenance. Maintenance projects include a variety of infrastructure maintenance such as:

• asphalt paving,
• milling and overlay,
• chip seal and slurry seal,
• bridge repair and maintenance,
• safety improvements for intersections,
• concrete work such as replacement curbs, gutters, sidewalks, and pedestrian ramps.

2023 maintenance projects below as reported in the 2024 Annual Report

City of Colorado Springs

Roadway Maintenance

PPRTA roadway maintenance focuses on preventative measures to preserve the integrity of infrastructure within the city right-of-way. Regular maintenance helps prolong the life of city infrastructure and reduces the need for costly repairs in the future. Roadway maintenance activities in 2023 included:

• Concrete Maintenance:
  • On Call & ADA: $9.24 million in maintenance efforts, year-over-year (YoY) decrease of $1.76 million.
  • Cost Share: $88,400 in maintenance efforts, YoY increase of $40,000.
  • Sidewalk Vertical Displacement Mitigation: $188,344 in maintenance efforts, year-over-year increase of $13,000.
  • Truncated Domes: Year-over-year increase of $7,000 in maintenance efforts.
• Roadway Maintenance:
  • Asphalt Overlay: Maintenance efforts were paused in 2023.
  • Slurry Seal: Pilot program saw $1.31 million in maintenance efforts.
  • Chip Seal: $1,478,418 in maintenance efforts, YoY decrease of $177,000.
  • Crack Seal: $1,443,562 in maintenance efforts, YoY increase of $712,000.
  • Dig Out and Wide Crack Mitigation: $534,522 in maintenance efforts, YoY decrease of $1.85 million.
• Additional Maintenance:
  • Pipe: $1,549,926 in maintenance efforts, YoY increase of $50,000.
  • Guardrail: $100,738 in maintenance efforts, YoY decrease of $23,000.

In 2023, efforts continued for three special projects:

• Structures in the Right-of-Way (a partnership with City Engineering): $1,358,456 in maintenance efforts, year-over-year increase of $1.0 million.
• Rustic Hills – Phase 2 (a partnership with City Engineering: $3,074,754 in maintenance efforts, YoY increase of $2.9 million.

Project Details:

• Installation of ADA compliant pedestrian ramps.
• Sidewalk repairs improve accessible routes to foot traffic.
• Curb, gutter, and cross pan repairs.
• Inlet installation to improve drainage.
• Median removals to improve roadway drainage.
• Roadway profile adjustments in localized areas to improve drainage.

Highlights of efforts in 2023:

• Chip Seal Program
  • 351,708 square yards placed.
  • 55 lane miles completed.
• Dig Out and Wide Crack Mitigation Program
  • Contracted Programs: 1,208 tons of asphalt material placed.
  • In-House Programs: 10,353 tons of asphalt material placed.
• Crack Seal Program
  • Contracted Programs:
    • 719,707 pounds of crack sealant applied.
    • 119 lane miles of roadway impacted.
  • In-House Programs:
    • 173,148 pounds of crack seal material applied.
    • 107 lane miles of roadway impacted.
• In-House Pothole Repair Program
  • 87,032 potholes filled
• Contracted Programs Sidewalk Vertical Displacement Program: 2,022 total cuts
• On-Call & ADA Program
  • 52,873 linear feet of curb and gutter.
  • 186,313 square feet of sidewalk.
  • 53 new pedestrian ramps.
  • 153 retrofitted pedestrian ramps.
  • 52 cross pans.
• Cost Share Concrete Totals
  • 558 linear feet of curb and gutter.
  • 6,883 square feet of sidewalk.
• Guardrail Totals: 15 projects completed

Bridge Maintenance

PPRTA funding is used to plan and perform bridge maintenance activities to the city’s 228 major bridge structures (greater than 20 feet in length) and 231 minor bridge structures (between four feet and 20 feet in length). Since the beginning of PPRTA in 2005, the funding provided by PPRTA for bridge maintenance has been invested to address several types of maintenance efforts as described below. This investment has enabled the city to move its efforts from mostly emergency responses to a deliberate and planned bridge maintenance effort. The benefit to the community includes improvements in safety and a reduction in the loss of the use of bridges.

Highlights:

Performed, contracted, and completed bridge maintenance construction activities or design on 55 bridges. These activities were focused on repair, safety, engineering, and programmed preventative maintenance. Most significant efforts included:

• Began design of Cache La Poudre over Monument Creek Bridge Rehabilitation.
• Began design of 25th Street Bridge Rehabilitation.
• Completed design of two maintenance bundles for 2024.
• Completed bridge waterproofing (preventative maintenance) on 10 structures.
• Performed guardrail repair at 14 locations.
• Performed or contracted hydraulic evaluation studies on several bridges.
• Performed Enhanced Inspections at 24 structures.
• Continued update on Bridge Capital Improvement Plan and identified most needed projects in next 15 years.
• Updated and improved the Bridge Maintenance 5-Year Plan.

El Paso County

Paving

El Paso County spent $8,968,686.04 for the 2023 PPRTA Asphalt Rehabilitation Program. The amount was used for paving 34.08 centerline miles or 69.32 lane miles of roadway. In addition to paving these roads they were also patched, striped, shouldered, and thermoplastic street markings were installed. Sub-grade repairs were performed as necessary.

Pavement Preservation (Contracted)

El Paso County spent $4,838,354.08 for the newly created 2023 PPRTA Pavement Preservation Program, which is a multi-year contract for El Paso County Department of Public Works. Methods used to preserve roadways included: crack sealing, chip sealing, slurry sealing, microsurfacing and cape sealing. Approximately 149.92 centerline miles or 299.84 lane miles of roadway were preserved in the 2023 work season.

A breakdown of treatment type and coverage is as follows:

• Crack Sealing – 91.66 centerline miles or 183.32 lane miles.
• Chip Sealing – 23.69 centerline miles or 47.38 lane miles.
• Slurry Sealing – 26.11 centerline miles or 52.22 lane miles.
• Microsurfacing – 2 centerline miles or 4 lane miles.
• Cape Sealing – 6.46 centerline miles or 12.92 lane miles.

Graveling

The Department of Public Works’ Highway Maintenance personnel completed 58.12 lane miles of roadway graveling, which included Mallard Drive, Highland Estates Drive, Clydesdale Road, and Spiritwood Loop.

Chip Sealing

The Department of Public Works’ Highway Maintenance personnel performed chip seal on 35.9 lane line miles of roads. This is in addition to the chip sealing work contracted.

Concrete

In 2023, $5,318,361.41 was spent on concrete projects at various locations within the county. This amount was spent on pouring approximately 19,613 square yards of sidewalk, 48,845 linear feet of curb and gutter, 1,052 square yards of cross pan, 1,545 square yards of fillet and 1,610 square yards of pedestrian ramps.

Janitell Road Bridge Scour Protection

Construction of the project was substantially complete in April 2023 and completed in December 2023.

The project is in Fountain Creek below Janitell Road in El Paso County. Scour had occurred at the northern bridge pier and the channel had migrated to the north cutting the toe of slope below the abutment. The bridge was considered scour vulnerable. The Project provided scour protection for the bridge that generally includes riprap at the abutment and piers and minor channel grading.

City of Manitou Springs

Street Improvements

• 2” mill and overlay on El Monte Avenue. PPRTA budget is $105,120.
• 2” mill and overlay on Park Avenue. PPRTA budget is $45,202.
• 2” mill and overlay on Pine Ridge. PPRTA budget is $42,097.

Chip Sealed Locations

• Via Piedras, Southerland, Clarksley, Deneta, Deer Path, High Street, Upper Sunshine Trail, Mohawk and Prospect. PPRTA budget is $143,824.

Striping, mobilization, and performance bond

• For all improved areas. PPRTA budget is $62,250.

Asphalt patching at numerous locations

• Repaired several areas that needed new asphalt, either as a result of wear and tear or old utility patches. PPRTA budget is $79,698.60.

Town of Green Mountain Falls

In 2023, the Town of Green Mountain Falls continued to undertake all regular road maintenance practices including the filling of priority potholes on the town’s limited paved roads.

With respect to the remainder of the municipal street system that remains unpaved, town staff subjected all roads to routine grading, compaction, and drainage upkeep operations. All unpaved roads were treated with an application of magnesium chloride, both to mitigate dust impacts and preserve surface conditions.

With PPRTA funds the town was able to purchase fuel, maintenance equipment, and road base to distribute over the aggregate roadway surfaces throughout the town. In addition, these funds were used to hire culvert cleaning services needed in key areas.

Green Mountain Falls had also finished construction on a stilling basin at a major drainage location to improve water quality and minimize sedimentation at Gazebo Lake. The stilling basin project was the final PPRTA II A list project for Green Mountain Falls.

Town of Calhan

The Town of Calhan joined the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority effective Jan. 1, 2022. Calhan was able to overlay several roads in 2023 with the help of PPRTA funds. The town asphalted Boulder Street, 8th Street north of Highway 24, Crystola Street and portions of Colorado Avenue. Calhan plans to continue to improve our roads leveraging general funds with PPRTA funding.

Town of Ramah

The Town of Ramah spent $5,500 in PPRTA maintenance funds in 2023. This was for a small overlay job near town hall. The town is working on a drainage project and hope to be done in early 2024. Street signs have been inventoried and Ramah will be ordering new ones throughout town.