City of Colorado Springs / Traffic Engineering / Transportation Planning / Projects, Studies and Plans / South Metro Accessibility Study

South Metro Accessibility Study (SMAS)

The South Metro Accessibility Study (SMAS) was a joint initiative of the City of Colorado Springs and El Paso County to look at short and long term improvements to transportation corridors in the southern portion of the metro area.  The overall goal of the project was to improve east-west mobility for travelers to the southern portion of Colorado Springs and to the Airport.

The study area was bounded by Highway 24 on the north, Highway 16/Mesa Parkway on the south, State Highway 115 on the west, and Powers Boulevard on the east.
The SMAS project is an outgrowth of earlier studies of Drennan Road and South Academy Boulevard.  The City and County coordinated efforts and expanded the study to achieve a common goal.  The expanded study considered additional options that better meet the transportation needs of the County and City residents.

The SMAS process included two open house meetings, numerous meetings with property owners along the proposed corridor, coordination with military installations, the Economic Development Corporation, the Colorado Springs Airport, Springs Transit staff, Colorado Department of Transportation staff, and City and County senior management. The Colorado Springs City Council accepted the Study recommendations as part of the City's Intermodal Transportation Plan (ITP) in July 2004.

The ITP is part of a continuing effort to enhance the transportation system for the City of Colorado Springs and to develop a comprehensive approach to transportation planning. The purpose of the ITP is to guide policy and decision making with respect to serving the existing and long-term future transportation needs of the community.

Alternatives:   Six alternatives developed as potential transportation solutions in the study area were analyzed to address the Goals and Objectives of the study.   Common components were identified as critical elements for the study success, regardless of the alternative selected.  Key common components included extension of a south entrance from the Colorado Springs Airport to Powers Boulevard, extending Mesa Ridge Parkway to Marksheffel Road, and that no alternative preclude various transit options.  Alternative ?C? was the recommended alternative from the study. This alternative included improvements to Drennan Road to expressway standards, with a realignment of Drennan to the south of its current location near Academy Boulevard, a free flow interchange to connect Academy and Drennan, and the extension of Academy from Drennan to State Highway 115.

Due to the size of this project, it was recognized that constructing the recommended improvements in one package would be very difficult to accomplish. A seven-phase approach was developed to construct the project, with the understanding that it be flexible to incorporate multiple phases should it be deemed necessary through the design and construction of the corridor. The first phase recommended from the study is included in the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority Category "A" project list and is also known as the Proby Parkway project.

Comments or Questions? 
Email Transportation Planning at transplanning@springsgov.com