COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- Paying to drive on Powers? The executive director of the Colorado Department of Transportation, Don Hunt suggested adding toll lanes might be beneficial.
The road became a state highway in 2007 so CDOT is responsible for it's funding, but the decision on adding tolls would be up to local leaders.
The thought is to add what's called "H.O.T. lanes" which stands for high occupancy tolling.
They're high-occupancy lanes where you can pay a toll for a single driver to get around slow traffic on longer stretches of road, as we see in areas of I-25.
Powers was the only road in El Paso County that hunt suggested might benefit from tolling.
Roads already in use aren't allowed to become toll roads. City Transportation Manager, Kathleen Krager said she doesn't see how a toll road could work with the current lights and interchanges.
"A bypass such as powers isn't that kind of short-cut road," she said, "it doesn't make sense for a toll road."
Krager added it's not something she would suggest, and doesn't believe it's right for our city.
"While we may complain about our congestion here the truth of the matter is that Colorado Springs certainly doesn't have the congestion that warrants the use of hot lanes yet."
A 2010 CDOT study found folks would rather add lanes and overpasses, and they strongly opposed the construction of a toll road.
Despite the new suggestion it doesn't seem that local opinion is changing.
Most residents say they would put up with the traffic to forgo a fee.
"I'll still stay on the free part for now," one Springs resident said, "There's no need for it. Traffic's not bad enough."
About 70,000 cars drive on Powers every day and that number is expected to grow with our city, to more than 100,000.
Eventually officials want to connect Powers to I-25 near the north gate of the Air Force Academy.
The next planned Powers improvement is widening it to six lanes from south of Platte Avenue to Fountain Boulevard.
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