What Is The Driving Time from the Military Bases In Colorado Springs, CO?

When moving to Colorado Springs as a part of the military, taking the commute into account can help streamline everyday activities. Keeping common commute times in mind can also help everyone find the best neighborhoods for their families. Unless they live on base, military members can choose between housing in Manitou Springs, Monument, and other beautiful areas. So, take a look at the commute times in Colorado Springs to find the best option and prepare for the road ahead.

Military Installations in Colorado Springs

As the second largest city in the state, Colorado Springs has many military installations, including:

• Fort Carson
• Peterson Air Force Base
• Cheyenne Mountain Air Force
• United States Air Force Academy

These installations are spread across the cityscape, linked together by the inner city streets. Although several highways and interstates span between these bases, they do not shorten the commutes much. In fact, during rush hour, taking these routes could land commuters in heavy traffic, which can be avoided by alternate routes through the city proper.

Commute Times to and from the Colorado Springs Bases

Since most morning commuters head out of Colorado Springs to Denver, the trip to the various military bases in the city is relatively quick. In the afternoon, traffic is flowing back toward the city, which allows people to move from the bases to home in short time as well. There are many different transportation options favors in this city, including:

Bike

For those living within the cityscape, there is the option to bike to the military bases and back again. They can also take their bike through the city and hop on buses for the last leg of their trip out of town.

The annual Bike to Work Day helps promote this transportation option and more than 1,500 people participated in 2019. The city has made infrastructure improvements a top priority as well, making it safe and easy to bike around town. They have over 100 miles of bicycle routes through the city, connecting all the military bases to each other.

Bus

Dubbed Mountain Metro, the local bus system runs through Colorado Springs to the Pike Peaks region. Depending on the stop, buses start running between 5am to 7am and continue until a bit after 9pm. The buses are timed to hit each stop every half an hour. Despite its availability, only about one percent of people in this region make bus rides a part of their commute.

In addition to Mountain Metro, people in this region can take the express bus service, Bustang, to and from their destinations. This system runs from Colorado Springs to many other major cities in the area, including:

• Lamar
• Pueblo
• Alamosa
• Denver
• Fort Collins

The trip from the Lamar station to Colorado Springs usually takes about two to three hours, depending on how heavy traffic is at that hour.

Car

Although the city is making improvements to its bike and bus routes, traveling by personal vehicle is favored by nearly 80 percent of commuters. Another 11 percent travel by carpool, joining up to make quick work of their commutes.

To help everyone find carpool buddies, Mountain Metro runs a free matching service called RIDEPRO. By signing up for their online database, people can find others who are commuting at the same time and from the same area.

Across the board, the average commute time is just 22 minutes each way, barring major incidents. This is quite shorter than the average in the United States, which currently sits at 52 minutes total.

Once everyone has their ideal Colorado Springs commute pinned down, they can start looking for suitable housing in their desired area. Their understanding of the commute will aid in finding that perfect dwelling and making the most of their time stationed in this area. If you are planning on moving to Denver and commuting to Colorado Springs, the commute may be 10-15 minutes longer depending on where you live in Denver.