The City of Colorado Springs announced the results of a study that looked at making the intersection of Platte and Nevada Avenues into a roundabout, with the recommendation not to move forward with the project at this time.
“The study shows that roundabout with a four-lane Nevada Avenue and a two-lane Platte Avenue, a vital east-west corridor, is technically feasible, but westbound queues would extend past Weber in peak hours,” said Todd Frisbie, City Traffic Engineer. “Initial cost estimates show a roundabout would be cost prohibitive, likely in the $5-6 million range.”
Frisbie added that District 11’s plans with Palmer High School and the potential for impacts to Boulder Street, another east-west corridor, would create higher traffic volumes on Platte.
“Our analysis of a Platte/Nevada roundabout with a potential Boulder Street closure shows that Platte Avenue needs to be two lanes in each direction through the roundabout to support that amount of traffic,” he said. “This would only increase the size and cost of a roundabout. There’s simply not enough room in that corridor for a two-lane roundabout in the east-west direction.”