EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — Six years after KRDO 13 learned of it and began reporting on it, crews have finished repairs to a half-mile-long drainage ditch that had deteriorated and contributed to local flooding for decades.
A month ago, workers completed a five-month project to replace the concrete liner in the ditch that parallels Highway 87 and railroad tracks between Fontaine Boulevard ad Grinnell Street.
The end of construction comes as a huge relief to homeowners and merchants along the ditch’s east bank on Widefield Boulevard who had lived with the threat of damage from flooding and erosion.
“When (workers) were actually doing (the project), it was shaking our house too much,” said Orion Gonzales. “And now, it’s perfect.”
Wilma Thompson said that she loves the new ditch — although her two dogs don’t.
“They keep barking at it,” she said. “And now, for the first time in a while, I don’t have to pay for flood insurance. I was watching the ditch during all the rain and snow we had this week, but there wasn’t much of a flow. Let’s see what happens after heavy rainstorms. But it’s definitely better than it was.”
El Paso County paid $2.5 million to replace the concrete liner; however, the end of project doesn’t resolve another continuing issue…