"Right now in Colorado Springs, our main north-south route is solely I-25," City Engineer Gayle Sturdivant told The Gazette in mid-October. She was describing the Powers Boulevard Extension, the expressway being built through the neighborhoods just north and east of The Farm.
The week of Oct. 26 brings a lot of new things to the shopping side of north Colorado Springs. A California sandwich shop opens Tuesday. A Maine outfitter cuts its ribbon Friday morning. A church festival and a concert fill the evenings in between. All of that happens within five days. The road work behind Sturdivant's quote runs on a much longer schedule. One piece of it sits on Ridgeline Drive, and of everything changing around The Farm this fall, it is the change that will last the longest.
The Bridge That Comes Second
The Farm's own directions send drivers up Voyager Parkway and onto Ridgeline Drive. The developer describes the community as "ideally located off of Voyager Parkway and Ridgeline Drive." The City of Colorado Springs' Powers Boulevard Extension page says Ridgeline "remains closed between Hawk Stone Drive and Veneto Way and is expected to remain closed throughout construction." It points drivers to posted detour signs and a linked detour map.
The closure began in June. The Gazette reported that crews closed Ridgeline to move utility lines, a step Sturdivant called "a critical first step prior to construction beginning on the new bridge structures." The City's August construction update said the Ridgeline closure "remains in place through construction." By then pile driving was finished, and crews were building bridge abutments and piers.
The order of the work matters most here. On Tuesday, Oct. 13, a large crane set 105-foot girders weighing 105,000 pounds each on the bridges at Flying Horse Club Drive, the other road crossing in this phase. According to The Gazette, crews will set girders at Ridgeline only after the Flying Horse Club bridges are finished, and earthwork to reshape the ground near the bridges is planned for the winter months. Ridgeline is second in line.
Flying Horse Club Drive stays open in the meantime, with one lane each way on a temporary road and sidewalk layout. The City asks drivers to slow down and watch for people crossing near the work zone. The City also notes that the temple project at Flying Horse Club Drive is privately managed and separate from its road work, so some of the activity in that area belongs to a different job.
A Plan Older Than the Streets Around It
The Ridgeline closure lasts this long because the road being built under it was planned well before most of today's streets existed. Sturdivant told The Gazette that "the initial planning for (the extension project) actually started in 1963." An environmental assessment followed in 1997. The City says the concept design and alignment were approved in 1997, "prior to development of the Flying Horse and Northgate communities." Voters approved the extension as a Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority A-list project in November 2022.
The neighborhoods filled in around a corridor that was already on the map. Building the road now means lowering it beneath streets people already use every day. The City's project page lists what the finished expressway includes:
- A new interchange at Highway 83
- An overpass over Black Squirrel Creek
- Underpasses beneath Ridgeline Drive and Flying Horse Club Drive
- An overpass at Old Northgate Road
- Limited access points at Voyager Parkway and Highway 83
One piece is already done. The Voyager Parkway bridge, which carries local traffic over the future Powers Boulevard, reopened in 2024 and connects directly to the I-25/Powers interchange at Exit 155. The rest has a long way to go. The City says phased roadway construction is expected to continue through at least 2030. Final engineering continues in 2026, and the City hasn't yet decided whether a developer or the City will handle later construction. A traffic noise analysis is still underway, and The Gazette reports that a summary of the findings will be shared with the community when it's finished.
The design also includes a pedestrian bridge just north of Flying Horse Club Drive, one of the three bridges in the current phase.
Five Days From Briargate to Voyager
Compared with that timeline, the week of Oct. 26 goes by fast. The developer describes The Farm as "minutes from Shops at Briargate," and that is where most of the new openings are.
- Tuesday, Oct. 27. Mendocino Farms opens its first Colorado Springs location at The Promenade Shops at Briargate, 1765 Briargate Parkway, Suite 807, according to The Gazette. FOX21 confirmed the date and daily hours of 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Thursday, Oct. 29. Steven Curtis Chapman brings his Speechless 25th Anniversary Tour to New Life North at 11025 Voyager Parkway, with a 7 p.m. concert. This one is on Voyager, close to home.
- Friday, Oct. 30, morning. L.L.Bean holds its grand opening at 1925 Briargate Parkway, #611, in the former Container Store space. The ribbon cutting is at 8:45 a.m., and the first 100 people in line at 9 a.m. get an exclusive Colorado Springs Grand Opening Boat and Tote. No purchase is needed, participants must be 18 or older, and the line can start forming at 6 a.m.
- Friday, Oct. 30, evening. The Northgate Fall Festival, organized by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, runs from 6 to 9 p.m. at 8710 Lexington Drive.
- Saturday, Oct. 31. L.L.Bean's wrap-up day starts at 9 a.m. The first 100 customers who make an in-store purchase get a free puffer blanket, which the company values at $89.95, while supplies last.
L.L.Bean's store page hasn't posted regular operating hours yet, so check it before planning a visit after opening weekend.
The Opening That Already Happened Closer In
Not every new spot requires the drive south. Wing Force, a chicken restaurant near Interquest and Voyager, was open by late August, and FOX21 reported a Sept. 5 grand opening with giveaways. Its location page lists 1824 Democracy Pt, Unit 110, with pickup and delivery from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.
Inside the neighborhood, the developer says The Farm's Linear Park System was the first in Colorado Springs, with more than 10 miles of trails linking every neighborhood to its parks and pocket parks. Those paths aren't affected by any closure. Ridgeline and Flying Horse Club Drive matter for trips that leave the neighborhood.
What the Drive Looks Like From Here
Work near the bridges will continue into the colder months. The City's August update said bridge construction and excavation in the bridge areas would continue, and that retaining wall construction was expected to start at Flying Horse Club Drive. The Gazette's October report adds the winter earthwork and the Ridgeline girders that follow the Flying Horse Club bridges. The City's August update also said truck traffic was expected to ease in the phase after pile driving. Crews follow approved construction hours and use dust control throughout the project.
The City's detour maps for both Ridgeline and Flying Horse Club Drive are linked from the project page. For changes as they happen, the City offers text alerts: text POWERS to 21000.
By the first week of November, Mendocino Farms and L.L.Bean will just be two more stops on Briargate Parkway. The Ridgeline closure between Hawk Stone Drive and Veneto Way will still be in place, waiting for girders that come after Flying Horse Club Drive's, on a project the City expects to keep building through at least 2030.
If the Powers work has you thinking about how your daily routes might change over the next few years, I'm always glad to talk through what's happening on the north end of Colorado Springs. Leah Klepetka is here whenever you'd like to compare notes. Let's Connect.
