While Colorado Springs doesn't claim to be a transportation hub,
it is just 70 miles south of Denver and offers a fairly centralized
location. Moving people and products into and out of (and around) the
city presents no special problems; all the transportation resources you would
expect in a metro area of more than 500,000 are
available.
AIR
Eight airlines offering more than 100 flights
daily, including non-stop flights to 12 cities, operate from the Colorado
Springs Airport. Built in 1994, the airport is located on the east
side of town and logged 1.2 million boardings in the year 2000. Major
airlines serving Greater Colorado Springs include America West, American,
Continental, Delta, Mesa, Northwest, TWA, and United.
BUS
Springs
Transit provides bus service in Colorado Springs and several adjoining
communities and military installations. Stops are located along major
thoroughfares. Major transfer points are the Downtown Transit Center
at Nevada Avenue and Kiowa Street, Citadel Mall, and Pikes Peak Community
College. All Springs Transit buses are equipped with wheelchair
lifts, and persons with disabilities may qualify for curb-to-curb service in
Springs Mobility vans.
For interstate travel, TNM&O Coaches
(Greyhound) provides bus service from its terminal at 120 S. Weber
Street. See the listing under
Contacts/Links.
RAILWAYS
The Burlington Northern Santa Fe and
Union Pacific/Southern Pacific Railroads provide freight
service.
HIGHWAYS AND BYWAYS
Once you've memorized the fact that
the mountains are west of town, navigating around Colorado Springs is easy.
Interstate 25 cuts through town from North to South, passing just west of
downtown and linking the Springs with Pueblo to the south and Denver to the
north. Built in the 1950s, I-25 is long overdue for the makeover it
is now receiving. Lanes are being added, interchanges are being
reengineered, curvy stretches are being straightened, an attractive noise
barrier is in place, and landscaping is underway. Also running
north-south are Nevada Avenue (Highway 115), Union Boulevard, Circle Drive,
Academy Boulevard, and, on the east edge of town, Powers
Boulevard.
Traveling east to west can be a bit confusing in Colorado
Springs. For years, Highway 24 (Platte Avenue) was the city's main
(and only) east-west thoroughfare, even though it meandered through the downtown
business district. Today, the U.S. 24 bypass off I-25 skirts downtown
and part of the east side. There is no true limited-access east-west
road, and one does not seem likely soon. Pikes Peak Avenue, Platte
Avenue, Fillmore Street, Austin Bluffs Parkway, Garden of the Gods Road, and
Woodmen Road to the best they can. But since Colorado Springs only
measures about 20 miles north to south and 10 miles east to west, you can still
get almost anywhere in 20 minutes of less.
SHUTTLE/LIMOUSINE
About 20 area hotels and motels provide shuttle
service to and from the Colorado Springs Airport, and more than a dozen
limousine services are available locally. In addition, several
companies offer shuttles to and from nearby ski resorts and for statewide
travel. See listings in the Contacts/Links.
TAXIS
Two
taxi companies, Yellow Cab and American Cab, serve the Pikes Peak
region. Both offer airport service and package
delivery. See listings in the
Contacts/Links.
TRUCKING
Interstate, coast-to-coast, and
intrastate motor freight service is available from more than 20 carriers.