COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - A busy intersection in northeast Colorado Springs is getting a new look, according to the city.

People who live near Dublin Boulevard and Peterson Road said the intersection gets really busy in the morning and afternoon.

It could take 10-15 minutes to get through one stop sign, said Dustin Mangold, who lives nearby.

Mangold said he drives through the intersection almost every day when he drops his children off at school.

They start around 7:45, so I tell them, We got to leave the house by 7:10, no later, he said. Usually during the day, its a 15-minute drive to Rampart, but with this, it could be 30-35 minutes an extra 20-30 minutes.

City Traffic Engineer Todd Frisbie said the city was alerted to the intersection after getting calls from concerned citizens. The city said it conducted a traffic survey during the summer.

We saw a lot of traffic and delay at the intersection, and those are some of the main criteria we look at to make a determination whether to signalize the intersection or not, Frisbie said.

After conducting a 12-hour study, the city determined the intersection needed a traffic light.

The traffic signal can move more traffic than a stop sign, Frisbie said. Traffic signal, it helps improve efficiency and the flow of traffic but it also can be a safer type of intersection as people can get through that intersection.

11 News previously reported on Dublin and Peterson in 2017 when parents voiced their concerns about the busy intersection right next to Imagine Classical Academy. The school has since moved, but the city said the intersection still needs a traffic light.

We knew the school was leaving, so we decided to initiate the counts during the summer because we knew that school traffic wasnt going to be there, so we thought that would be a representative condition after the school was gone, Frisbie said. Without the school, that will help as well with congestion at the intersection. As you know, with any school you get that peak in the morning, you get that peak in the afternoon, and that can add to the congestion, so that element will be gone, but even with that gone, as I said, we were still meeting that warrant for a traffic signal. So were moving forward with that project.

Mangold said he was excited to learn that the city plans to install traffic lights instead of stop signs at the intersection.

I just think flow of traffic will be better, he said. It may feel like were sitting there longer at a red light, but I think more cars will be able to get through, and in the long run, its actually less time, in my opinion.

Frisbie said construction is likely to start in spring 2020. The project will also include some road and sidewalk improvements. Construction is anticipated to last four to six months. The cost is expected to be around $1 million.

Link:

'I think it'll help': City plans to install traffic lights at Dublin and Peterson - KKTV 11 News