Details have emerged about the stunning transformation of Colorado Springs’ historic Pikeview Quarry into a potential mountain bike paradise.
The American site was well known for over a century as a former limestone quarry, known for the strength of its product. The site was expanded in 1940 to produce limestone for the construction of the United States Air Force Academy.
Some reports have estimated, according to the Pikeview Quarry website, that close to half of the limestone in Colorado Springs was from Pikeview’s site.
The site stopped production in 2018 after being established around 1902. After years of being abandoned and potential plans, the site has been locked in to become a mountain bike site. Two of the project’s three phases have been completed.
The project has been halted due to external factors, including COVID and skill shortages. According to News5, the land is set to be delivered to the city by 2026 after an original timeline of 2023.
“Inflation caused some economic concerns. We had to make certain we had the funding to do this project from front to back. Selecting a contractor was a little difficult. During the economic boom that Colorado Springs had, everyone was busy,” Jerry Schnabel told News5.
“So getting people and equipment and getting, even something as simple as a loader after Covid, was difficult. We had to scramble and search and find parts and pieces to put this together.”
The Colorado Springs’ public will have a say in the future usage of the site.
“It’ll take time to do the reclamation work properly and then it’ll take time to make sure we understand the community’s vision for what a bike park could be or what other recreational amenity could be in that space,” David Deitemeyer told 5News.
It comes as former quarries are becoming increasingly key to public and private projects in Australia and abroad.
Closer to Australia, several quarries are being used as the base for housing projects to help solve the housing crunch.
Keperra Quarry has become a modern-day example of this with more than 1000 people inspecting the Queensland development in recent months. Reports have said residents could settle at the site as early as next year to enjoy the multi-million-dollar development.
“Some of Brisbane’s most celebrated precincts have been transformed from industrial style uses into vibrant urban renewal precincts, and The Quarry is one of those chapters in that renewal,” Frasers Property’s Cameron Leggatt told Urban.
In Melbourne, the rehabilitation of an inner Melbourne quarry has taken another step after more information about its new housing development was revealed in Ferntree Gully earlier this.