ConnectCOS

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Colorado Springs is launching a citywide visionary transportation study, ConnectCOS to help create a transportation plan that reflects the evolving needs of our community

The city has changed a lot since the last update to our major transportation plan (the Intermodal Transportation Plan) almost 20 years ago. Now is the time to review our current transportation system and develop a plan to ensure an efficient, accessible, safe, and well-connected network for people who drive, walk, bike and take public transit.

PlanCOS, the City’s comprehensive plan that was adopted by City Council in 2019, outlined big ideas to shape the future of our city. ConnectCOS will lay out the next 20 years of transportation planning, infrastructure, and improvements in Colorado Springs, bringing to life the goals, ideas and community values established in PlanCOS.

ConnectCOS is a year-long study that will involve a significant technical analysis, and robust community engagement effort, to identify and prioritize short and long-term transportation projects to ensure that people who live, work and play in Colorado Springs have an opportunity to participate in the study.

Draft Project Goals

There are six major goal areas that build on the full range of opportunities identified in ConnectCOS:

• Efficient
• Sustainable
• Reliable
• Accessible
• Connected
• Safe

Over the next several months the project team will continue to refine the goals of ConnectCOS to meet the needs of the community. Please check back soon to take our transportation survey that will help inform the final goals.  

Priority Corridors:

The six-mile Platte Avenue Corridor, that extends from I-25 to Powers Boulevard, has been selected as the first Priority Corridor for analysis through the ConnectCOS study. For more information about this corridor study and to participate visit www.ColoradoSprings.gov/PlatteAveCorrirdor.

Transportation study survey (now closed)

The ConnectCOS team is evaluating performance of travel corridors in the city relative to these goals to identify characteristics limiting their service and where investments could improve performance.  While travel corridors are associated with a specific roadway, the analysis considers a more robust definition that included not only the major roadway connecting destinations, but also the adjacent roadway network, land use context and character, and parallel or adjacent trail and transit connections. The analysis identified a list of “critical corridors” where investments could have the most positive impact. 

The ConnectCOS team would like to thank you for sharing your thoughts on strategies for improving performance of the transportation system.  Your input will help shape the development of specific projects and other investments.

What is a Corridor? 

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Critical Corridors

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ConnectCOS is being built on a framework of six goal identified by stakeholder and public input as areas where performance of the existing transportation system should be improved.  This framework guides the analysis process and the development of potential projects and other actions that will improve system performance.  The resulting actions will create a transportation system that is more safe, equitable, sustainable, efficiently reliable, accessible, and connected.

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Safe

This goal area reflects a paramount desire of the community to have a safe transportation system. A safety goal of no fatalities or serious injuries involving transportation can be applied to identify and implement countermeasures. 

The ConnectCOS goal framework also considers a wider range of considerations to looks at safety from personal and community perspective.  Example questions include:

• Do our transportation systems provide personal safety for those accessing mobility systems including those using trails, transit stops, and parking garages.
• Is our transportation system resilient enough to facilitate emergency and natural disaster response?

Equitable

This goal area captures the concept that investments should enhance mobility and accessibility for everyone.  This concept includes application of limited resources to distribute and adjust the type of investment to be appropriate to user needs.  The term is not the same as equality, but more importantly recognizes that people, neighborhoods, and communities have differing levels and types of needs.

Sustainable

A sustainable transportation system supports the three pillars of sustainability:

• Economic – A system that is affordable and provides individual and community economic benefit
• Environmental – A system that supports, protects, and enhances our natural environment including air quality
• Social – A system that supports our community’s goal for quality of life, health, and well being

The ConnectCOS goal framework considers these elements to identify needs and develop appropriate solutions.

Efficiently Reliable

This unique two-word goal area reflects the balance necessary between having a perfectly reliable system and being efficient with limited resources.  Both aspects are desired but are usually in conflict.  For example, a roadway corridor that never experiences slow-downs or congestion may be desirable, but the necessary costs and impacts of building such facilities may not be the most efficient.

Accessible

An accessible transportation system as viewed in the ConnectCOS goal framework provides intuitive choices for all users.  It is easy to find your way across town or across the intersection regardless of your mode of travel.  Connections between modes are comfortable including those who transition from driving to being a pedestrian to get from your parking to your destination. 

Connected

A connected transportation system enables all users to move from homes to services, work to recreation areas, and businesses to shopping destinations.  It also connects us to a larger economy beyond the Pikes Peak region.  A truly connected system also connects to adjacent land uses, rather than conflict with them.  Transportation choices influence land uses both positively and negatively and the right investments in transportation will positively shape our city’s future.

• April 2021 Community Office Hours Summary
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Project Timeline
• The Draft ConnectCOS Transportation System Assessment Working Paper is a working document that will continue to evolve between now and ConnectCOS project completion. This document may be updated as the ConnectCOS project team works though each of the remaining major technical milestones. An executive summary has been developed to share a high-level overview of the current findings related to the state of mobility in Colorado Springs.

September 2020 Survey Results

Approximately 1,700 Colorado Springs residents responded to the ConnectCOS transportation survey from August 19 – September 21, 2020 (thank you for your participation!). A summary of the results is now available for your review. The survey focused on questions regarding the strengths and weaknesses of the City’s current transportation system and solicited information related to travel habits and needs of our community. The results will support ConnectCOS planning efforts to establish a 20-year plan to meet evolving mobility needs of our community. Key highlights from the survey include:

• 98% of survey respondents have at least one vehicle, however, 65% of respondents feel it is extremely important to have transportation choices such as walking, biking, and taking the bus.
• The community identified the presence of numerous trails as a top strength of the City’s transportation network.
• Over 50% of respondents feel that it is easy to walk or use a wheelchair to get to the places they need to go within the City.

This survey is the first of many as the ConnectCOS project team continues to engage the community throughout 2021. Full results from this first survey will be shared at our upcoming virtual public meeting, scheduled for February 18, 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Make sure to register here to learn more about the project!

February 2021 Public Meeting

Thursday, February 18

We hope you were able to attend the virtual public meeting and learn more about the unique transportation needs and challenges facing the City of Colorado Springs as we continue to grow. For example, although most people travel by car, many recognize the need to get around town by bike, foot or transit. The 90-minute meeting provided other valuable input collected from a recent community-wide survey, as well as a high-level project overview. If you missed the meeting, materials are now available below. 

View Meeting Presentation | View Meeting Summary

Watch the Meeting

The ConnectCOS Community Advisory Committee (CAC) will serve as a sounding board and critical conduit between the broader community and project team during this collaborative transportation planning process. The representatives (as seen on the roster below) are from a wide variety of sectors and organizations based in Colorado Springs. They will help share project information to their networks and provide key insights at major technical milestones to assist the City in decision-making. The role and commitment of the CAC is an invaluable element of this year-long planning effort.

• CAC Meeting Summary - April 12, 2021
• CAC Meeting Summary - Dec. 3, 2020
• CAC Meeting Summary - June 24, 2020

CAC Roster