Pikes Peak Highway

The Pikes Peak Highway is a 19-mile (31 km) toll road that runs from Cascade, Colorado to the summit of Pikes Peak in El Paso County, at an altitude of 14,115 feet (4,302 m).[1] It is at least partially open year-round, up to the altitude where snow removal becomes excessively difficult.

Entrance to the Pikes Peak Highway
A view of the highway as it nears the summit
Downhill drivers have to check the brake temperatures of their vehicle at this station
The winding Pikes Peak Highway, looking down from 13,000 feet (3,960 m) at milepost 16 September 2011
Suzuki Grand Vitara at the 2006 Race to the Clouds

The rate structure varies depending on time of year and ranges from $10 per adult and $5 per child throughout Winter up to $50 per carload (5 passengers or less) with discounts on additional passengers.[2]

Highway

The Pikes Peak Highway was constructed in 1915 and financed by Spencer Penrose at a cost of $500,000.[3]

An earlier road up the mountain, the Pike's Peak Carriage Road, dates back to 1888. Thousands of tourists traveled along the Pikes Peak Carriage Road up to Pikes Peak's summit. It was opened by the Cascade Town Company in 1888 and closed in 1902.[4]

Maintenance

It was maintained by Colorado DOT as Colorado State Highway 250 from 1939 until 1947. Today, the road is maintained by the city of Colorado Springs.

Races

The highway has been home to an annual automobile and motorcycle race called the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb since 1916.[5]

Another race is the Pikes Peak Cycling Hill Climb (formerly Assault on the Peak), first held in 2010.[6] The 2016 edition was also the first edition of the USA Cycling Hill Climb National Championship.[7]

Environmental damage claim

Litigation was pursued by the Sierra Club in 1998-1999, on grounds of environmental damage from the gravel portion of the road.[8] The environmental damage was caused primarily by the 150,000,000 pounds (70,000 metric tons) of gravel that washed away annually, the same amount that needed to be hauled up the mountain each year in order to maintain the road surface. Environmental damage included alpine ponds and wetlands becoming filled with gravel, and layers of gravel averaging 2 to 4 feet (0.6 to 1.2 m) deep covering the forest floor below.[9] Pursuant to the settlement agreed by the Sierra Club and the City of Colorado Springs, the unpaved portion of the Pikes Peak Highway became a hard-surface road, despite concerns that such a project would radically change the nature of the annual automobile and motorcycle race. The paving project was completed on October 1, 2011.[10]

Pike's Peak Hill Climb champion Rod Millen warned that paving the road would put an end to the race.[11] However, the race went ahead normally in 2012 and has continued ever since.

See also

References
  1. "NGS Data Sheet for Pikes Peak". National Geodetic Survey.
  2. https://parks.coloradosprings.gov/pikes-peak-americas-mountain/page/hours-and-rates
  3. City of Colorado Springs (2002). "History and Geography of Pikes Peak". Archived from the original on 2006-12-09. Retrieved 2007-02-12.
  4. Jeanne Davant (June 5, 2001). "Railroad gets Ute Pass on track/ Mountain land turned into summer havens". The Gazette. Colorado Springs, CO.
  5. Overview Archived 2013-08-13 at the Wayback Machine. Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. Retrieved May 14, 2013.
  6. Pikes Peak Cycling Hill Climb. Summit Cycling Productions. Retrieved May 14, 2013.
  7. Phil Gaimon wins two national hill climbs - Gran Fondo Guide
  8. Matthew E. Salek (2006). M.E.Salek "Pikes Peak Toll Road" Check |url= value (help). Retrieved 2007-02-25.
  9. James Brooke (1998-10-11). "Car Racers Fight for Gravel on Pikes Peak Road". The New York Times.
  10. Rappold, R. Scott (1 October 2011). "Paving completed on Pike's Peak road, 13 years after Sierra Club suit". Denver Post. Retrieved 17 June 2012.
  11. http://www.westword.com/content/printVersion/210371/

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