Powers Boulevard Was on the Map Before Flying Horse Was. That Date Shapes the Noise Wall Question.

If a freeway was planned before your neighborhood was built, who pays to make it quieter? In Flying Horse, the City of Colorado Springs has already answered that question, at least in part. The answer depends on a date most buyers have never heard of.

The City's Powers Boulevard Extension project page explains it in its FAQ. The federal decision on the original Powers corridor came in January 1998, and that month became the corridor's "date of public knowledge." The City says any development approved after that date "is subject to the understanding that funding for noise mitigation may not apply," and it names Flying Horse as an example. Flying Horse was annexed into the city on Oct. 28, 2003, more than five years later.

For a buyer comparing homes near the corridor, the important point is simple. A noise wall may never be built, and the decision runs on a federal process that hasn't produced its findings yet. A home near the future road is best judged on what is already fixed: the route, the road's elevation and the construction timeline.

A Date Set Long Before the Rooftops

Powers Boulevard is not a new idea that showed up after people moved in. The City says right-of-way was preserved for the highway and that Powers "has always been included in all development plans for the area, including Flying Horse." City Engineer and Deputy Public Works Director Gayle Sturdivant told The Gazette in October that "the initial planning for (the extension project) actually started in 1963."

The money for the road itself is already set up. The Copper Ridge Metropolitan District is paying for the work up front and will be reimbursed with PPRTA funds. The district also paid to build the Voyager Parkway Bridge early, before those regional funds were available. That arrangement covers building the roadway. Neither the City nor the district has described it as money for noise walls or berms, and none of the parties involved has publicly committed to pay for mitigation if federal participation doesn't apply.

Four Steps Between a Noise Finding and a Wall

Even where federal rules allow mitigation, a wall comes only after several approvals. The City's FAQ and its July 2025 noise process white paper lay out the sequence:

1. An impact has to be found. Projected traffic noise has to reach 66 dB, or rise by 10 dB over current levels, at a "noise-sensitive receptor" such as a home, school, park or church within 500 feet of the future road edge.
2. The fix has to work. A proposed measure must cut noise by at least 5 dB for three or more properties and be buildable. That is the feasibility test.
3. The fix has to be worth the cost. It must cut noise by 7 dB for two or more properties, be cost-effective and have majority support from the properties that would benefit. That is the reasonableness test.
4. Agencies approve, then neighbors vote. CDOT and FHWA must sign off. After that, only the homes and other receptors the model says would benefit get a survey, and the measure moves forward only if at least 51 percent of responses support it.

To put those thresholds in context, the City says normal conversation runs around 60 dB, and a home that goes from 56 dB to 66 dB would trigger review. If mitigation is approved, the City says it could take the form of "landscaped berms or other sound-reducing features."

The FAQ also says this: "Post-construction noise analysis is not anticipated." The modeled study now underway is the one that counts. Measuring the road once it opens is not part of the plan.

The Parts That Are Already Decided

Several facts about the corridor are no longer up for debate. They are the solid ground for anyone weighing a home nearby.

• The road's elevation is locked. According to the City, the roadway's location and profile were set in earlier phases based on drainage, safety and topography. In the FAQ's words, "current and future project phases will not include any modifications to the established roadway profile."
• It runs below grade through much of Flying Horse. KKTV reported in October that the City expects more earthwork this winter as Powers is built below grade through much of the neighborhood.
• It is classified as a freeway and is designed for projected 2050 traffic volumes.
• Local streets cross it on bridges. Underpasses go beneath Ridgeline Drive and Flying Horse Club Drive. An overpass is planned at Old Northgate Road, and another will cross Black Squirrel Creek. KRDO reported that the Black Squirrel Creek bridge will be the largest on the extension, and that a pedestrian bridge west of Flying Horse Club Drive will connect to the golf course.
• The schedule runs through 2030. KRDO put the total cost at $140 million.

Day-to-day driving changes are already in place. Ridgeline Drive is closed between Hawk Stone Drive and Veneto Way and will stay closed while its bridge is built. Flying Horse Club Drive keeps one lane open in each direction on a temporary alignment. In October, KKTV reported that crews were setting girders for the Flying Horse Club Drive bridge, with Ridgeline Drive next. The City also notes that the Temple project at Flying Horse Club Drive is privately managed and not part of the road work.

What Stays Open Until 2027

The traffic noise study began in 2025. In October, the City said it expects to finish the study sometime next year, which means 2027. Sturdivant described the work to KKTV: "We did pre-construction noise level readings prior to the construction even starting. We're going through the federal process for making a noise model, and we're going through the process to determine if there was going to be noise mitigation with the project." The Gazette reported that a summary of findings will be shared with the community once the study is done.

That puts anyone buying near the corridor this winter in a specific spot. They will be closing on a home before the model says whether that address crosses the threshold, and two years or more before mainline traffic arrives.

Neighbors have been raising the same questions. At the January 2026 bridge open house, KOAA reported that many attendees supported the road and still had concerns. Flying Horse resident and engineer Eric Kuzara told the station, "It's always been a question of the noise mitigation." KOAA also reported that residents along the route hoped the roadway would be built lower than nearby homes. In September, Flying Horse resident Priscilla Kennedy told KRDO, "My question to the builders is, once the road is completed, will they do another noise assessment?" The City's FAQ answers that a post-construction study is not anticipated.

Judging a Home Near the 500-Foot Line

Taken together, this changes how to evaluate a home in Flying Horse or on the Northgate side of the corridor. Start with the facts that can be checked today:

• Distance. Measure how far the property is from the future travel lanes. The 500-foot study buffer marks where the federal model looks at all. Homes outside it are not part of the analysis.
• Position relative to grade. Find out whether the road runs below the home at that point, and whether a bridge, an embankment or open terrain sits between the house and the travel lanes. The City posted exhibit sheets from the January open house (Exhibit 1, Exhibit 2) showing the bridge work.
• The construction years. Mainline work runs from 2027 to 2030. Bridge work is already underway, and in October, KKTV reported that the City expects additional earthwork later this winter. In September, KRDO described construction mounds nearly as high as some nearby roofs.

A wall is the last thing to factor in. It depends on a 2027 model result, two federal tests, agency approval and a 51 percent survey. Because Flying Horse came after the 1998 date, the federal funding that would normally pay for it may not apply, and no one else has publicly committed to cover it.

To follow the project, you can text POWERS to 21000 for City construction alerts, or sign up for email updates through the project page. The federal criteria above are summarized from the City's published materials. This is general information, not legal or financial advice, so confirm how they apply to a specific property with the right professional.

Quick Answers

Will Powers Boulevard be raised or lowered from the current plan? No. The City says future phases will not change the established roadway profile.

Who gets surveyed about a noise wall? Only the noise-sensitive properties the model shows would benefit, and only after CDOT and FHWA approve a measure. Not everyone inside the 500-foot study area gets a survey.

Will utilities be shut off during construction? The City does not expect service interruptions and says it will give advance notice if a short outage becomes necessary.

When does the road open? The City currently projects completion in 2030.

If you're weighing a lot or a home near the Powers corridor, CC Signature Group can review the property's distance from the right-of-way, its position relative to the road and the construction timeline before you write an offer. If you already own near the extension, start with Get Your Instant Home Valuation, then talk with us about how the corridor affects your home's position in the market.