Pikes Peak Highway

The Pikes Peak Highway is a 19-mile toll road that runs from Cascade, Colorado to the summit house of Pikes Peak in El Paso County, Colorado. It is open year-round, "weather permitting", "i.e." when snow removal is not excessively difficult.

The Pikes Peak Highway was constructed in 1915 and financed by Spencer Penrose at a cost of $500,000. [cite web | url = http://www.pikespeakcolorado.com/HistoryGeography.htm | title = History and Geography of Pikes Peak | accessdate = 2007-02-12 | author = City of Colorado Springs | authorlink = Colorado Springs, Colorado | year = 2002 ] However, an earlier road up the mountain, the Pike's Peak Carriage Road, dates back to 1889. The road is maintained by the city of Colorado Springs. The bottom third of this road is paved while the upper portion is gravel. The gravel portion is home to an annual automobile and motorcycle race called the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb.

Litigation was pursued by the Sierra Club, in 1998-1999, on grounds of environmental damage from the gravel portion of the road. [cite web | url = http://www.mesalek.com/colo/other.html#pptr M.E.Salek | title = Pikes Peak Toll Road | accessdate = 2007-02-25 | author = Matthew E. Salek | year = 2006 ] Pursuant to the settlement agreed by the Sierra Club and the City of Colorado Springs, the unpaved portion of the "Pikes Peak Highway" is slated to become a hard-surface road, despite concerns that such a project would radically change the nature of the annual automobile and motorcycle race. Stated completion date for this paving project is 2010.

Notes

External links

* [http://www.pikespeakcolorado.com/GeneralInformation.htm Official website] by the City of Colorado Springs
* [http://www.mesalek.com/colo/other.html#pptr M.E.Salek "Roads of Colorado"]