Pothole-filled road in Colorado Springs that drew complaints is private road, not city street, officials say

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- On Monday morning, KRDO 13 reported on many drivers believing that Democracy Point, a road on the city's northeast side that is crumbling and full of potholes, was a city street.

The condition of the street recently led one man to fill the largest pothole with stones from a nearby landscaping area.

However, city officials revealed Monday afternoon that Democracy Point (east of Voyager Parkway) is actually a private road -- one which the city has no responsibility for.

The city released the following statement Monday afternoon after KRDO 13's report aired at noon:

The use of "point" and "grove" in street names indicates it is private.  The map below also shows it is private.  The sign should have a brown background (denoting it's private) not green. Traffic Engineering is aware of that fact now. People with concerns about potholes (or filling potholes with landscape stones) should contact the developer, metro district, etc.

Presumably, the street sign will be changed soon to denote its status as a private road.

Citizens who believed that the street belonged to the city and felt the city was responsible for repairing it, likely were unaware of its actual status as a private road -- which is why KRDO 13 added the statement to this article as soon as we received it.

KRDO 13's report included how a resident on Del Sol Road filled a pothole using cement; however, a city spokesman said that it hasn't been confirmed the road is within the city's jurisdiction, even though the street sign there is green and not brown.

Braxton Lollis explained why he decided to fill the pothole himself.

"It happened one night a few weeks ago while I was riding through here," he recalled. "I saw the biggest crater I've seen in the year-and-a-half since I've been in Colorado Springs. If I had hit that pothole, it would have thrown me off my bike and caused thousands of dollars in damage. Cars could be damaged. I felt like I needed to do something."

However, the strategy doesn't help fill the various other potholes and repair crumbling pavement in both directions of Democracy Point -- nor does it ease the ability to dodge them.

The street leads into the relatively new Victory Ridge housing and business development; most of the streets within the development are brick or concrete but connects to the failing asphalt.

"Everything up here in the Interquest area is new construction," said Chris Velazquez as he drove through Democracy Point on Sunday. "So why is the street in such bad condition? That's a good question."

KRDO 13 left a message Monday with a media contact for Victory Ridge to ask if the developer is aware of Democracy's condition and if there are plans to repair it.

The city's statement also informed citizens about proper procedures for potholes:

Residents filling potholes — or doing any repair work in our City's roadways — is not only illegal but creates additional safety hazards for travelers and residents. We ask that people report potholes via the GoCOS app, online at www.coloradosprings.gov/gocos or by calling 719-385-ROAD. We typically repair any reported potholes within 7-10 business days, but often faster. ​

Several months ago, a viewer contacted The Road Warrior and asked if citizens can legally fill city potholes; the reply from a city spokesman was "no," because pothole repair requires a permit that isn't available to the public.

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