El Paso County chair highlights $150M in ARPA spending, road projects and 'Pikes Peak Promise' public-safety push

Carrie Geithner, chair of the El Paso County Board of Commissioners, told an audience at the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce State of the Region that El Paso County is using federal and local funds to pay for infrastructure, public-safety priorities and transparency initiatives while advancing a regional policy package called the Pikes Peak Promise.

Geithner said the county has tracked and reported American Rescue Plan Act spending and sought to direct funds to projects with “exponential impact,” noting a total of $150,000,000 in taxpayer funds referenced for reporting and transparency purposes. “We carefully considered how those dollars could be utilized in a responsible way that would alleviate burdens on the future generations,” she said.

The county chair listed a series of capital investments the commission has prioritized. She said roughly $149,700,000 has been invested in roads since 2017 using a mix of permanent, one-time and federal funds in addition to the baseline budget. Major projects named include the South Academy Boulevard improvement project, with a stated budget of $73,000,000 and substantial completion anticipated in 2026; phase A of the Highway 105 project near Monument, listed at $30,000,000 with substantial…