Eastbound traffic on Highway 24 waits to turn left onto 31st Street Monday, June 5, 2017. A change in the sequence of the light is causing long backups at the turn lane. Photo by Mark Reis, The Gazette

After a day of four-wheeling, fishing or other frolicking in the mountains west of Colorado Springs, an unwelcome surprise awaits many motorists heading back to the big city.

A traffic jam.

A recent timing change to the signal at eastbound U.S. 24 and 31st Street at times produces a line of vehicles stretching west to the Manitou Springs exit.

"We realize it's causing a little backup," said Michelle Peulen, a spokeswoman with the Colorado Department of Transportation.

Morning and evening rush hours and weekends are the worst, when drivers can sit through several light cycles before being able to move through the intersection.

"Summer is just beginning, so I'm sure the complaints will heat up," said Crystal Maez, who works at The UPS Store in the nearby Red Rock Canyon Shopping Center. "It always gets busy."

It could be a while before the situation is remedied.

"We're pretty much stuck with what we've got," said Kathleen Krager, the city's senior traffic engineer.

Until needed improvements happen, that is.

Safety concerns led CDOT, which is responsible for the signal, and the city of Colorado Springs, which maintains the signal, to limit the left-turn arrow.

Previously, the arrow turned green, then flashed yellow, allowing motorists to continue turning left if there was no oncoming traffic.

But the intersection has been the site of at least two fatalities in recent years, said Peulen, along with other traffic problems.

For the left-turn movement only, 14 crashes with 21 injuries and two fatalities occurred from January 2011 to December 2015, she said. "We've seen a large number of crashes at that intersection."

Drivers' view of oncoming vehicles is blocked by a median, Krager said.

"The real improvement we're trying to make is to get the left turns to align with each other so you have an easier time seeing around the opposing lane," she said.

"It requires taking out the median, and there's an elevation change between the lanes, so it's not as easy as most projects will be."

The state's long-range plan calls for a longer left turn lane on U.S. 24, so cars don't pile up and block the through lane.

But, "It will be 2018 to 2019 before that project is underway," Peulen said.

The left-turn arrow is now 27 seconds long, up from 18 seconds of solid green and then flashing yellow.

"We've made it as long as we can make it," Krager said. "We still have to allow pedestrians to cross that street, too."

A flashing variable CDOT message board warns drivers that eastbound through traffic on U.S. 24 should stay in the right lane, to avoid getting stuck in traffic trying to turn left.

"It's an intermediate fix," Peulen said. "We're doing it to prevent crashes and any more potential fatalities."

The turn arrow likely won't ever go back to the way it was, she said.

Krager recommends patience. "We want people to be aware there could be backups in the through lane and choose alternative routes," she said.

The city traffic division is monitoring the intersection by camera.

"We view it every morning to look at the backups," Krager said. "We're keeping a close eye on it."

More vehicles than usual have been turning onto 31st Street from eastbound U.S. 24, trying to avoid the massive construction work at Interstate 25 and Cimarron Street and along West Colorado Avenue. The interstate work should be done later this year; the Colorado Avenue project could take three years to complete.

"We hope people will use the Cimarron interchange," Krager said. "It's not a bad choice," as construction winds down.

Read more from the original source:
Anatomy of a frustrating Colorado Springs traffic jam: US 24 and 31st Street - Colorado Springs Gazette