Historic Tejon Street is the cultural and economic heart of Downtown Colorado Springs. As the City’s primary downtown corridor, it serves residents, businesses, tourists, and community events while providing a distinct sense of place. To maintain its role as a vibrant urban destination, the City of Colorado Springs initiated a comprehensive revitalization effort focused on improving mobility, safety, accessibility, and economic vitality. Kimley-Horn served as prime consultant, civil engineer, and landscape architect of record, leading the planning and design of a two-block, 1,000-foot stretch of Tejon Street from concept development through final design and construction documents. The project ultimately resulted in an $8.6 million corridor transformation that reached substantial completion in October 2025. PROJECT PROBLEM: Despite its importance to the community, Tejon Street’s aging infrastructure, constrained pedestrian environment, and limited multimodal accommodations no longer supported the City’s vision for a walkable, thriving downtown. Narrow sidewalks restricted pedestrian activity; existing streetscape elements provided minimal separation from vehicle traffic, and the corridor lacked the flexibility needed to support outdoor dining, events, and evolving business needs. In addition to these physical challenges, the City required a compelling and technically sound design strategy capable of securing outside funding to advance the project from concept to construction. PROJECT SOLUTION: Kimley-Horn developed a comprehensive streetscape and mobility improvement program that reimagined the corridor around people while preserving the character of Downtown Colorado Springs. The design widened sidewalks, introduced flexible zones for outdoor dining and public use, and created dedicated streetscape buffers that enhanced pedestrian comfort and safety. A signature project feature was an innovative contract-grown tree program that established a mature urban canopy designed specifically for the corridor, providing immediate visual impact, longterm sustainability benefits, and a stronger downtown identity. Beyond design, Kimley-Horn prepared the technical documentation and supporting materials that helped the City secure a $1.6 million Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) Revitalizing Main Streets grant, which served as a catalyst for project implementation. Through extensive coordination with the City, Downtown Partnership, businesses, and regional utility providers, the team successfully balanced complex stakeholder needs, utility constraints, and urban design objectives. The resulting corridor delivers enhanced accessibility, economic opportunity, public safety, and community value while serving as a model for how innovative engineering and landscape architecture can revitalize historic downtown main streets.
