The eastbound and westbound lanes of South Academy Boulevard will close Tuesday night as part of a road safety project.
The lanes will be closed from 6:00 p.m. through 6:30 a.m., Tuesday night through Friday night. Eastbound traffic will be detoured south on I-25 to exit 132 A. From here, commuters can turn left and re-enter 1-25 north on South Academy Boulevard. Westbound traffic will be diverted north on I-25 to exit 138, where they can exit and re-enter South Academy.
I spoke with Randy Johnson, the C-DOT lead engineer on the project and he tells me the lanes are closed at night to minimize the traffic impacts during the day. They will be taking down the overhangs, also known as walkways for workers.
I’m told this is part of a much bigger project taking place at South Academy. It’s part of four regional projects that make up the 161 million military access, mobility, and safety improvement projects.
When the projects are completed, there will be two driving lanes with concrete in both directions. I’m told concrete lasts much longer than asphalt, so the decision was made to go with concrete paving. The project will also install full shoulders along a seven-mile stretch, to make the roads safer for drivers and to make it easier for travelers to get to military facilities in Colorado Springs safely.
“Even with the added shoulders, right, it improves safety. It’s amazing how many vehicles you see flat tires, or they just break down and now going up to twelve-foot shoulders, that’s huge safety-wise,” said Johnson.
“The number one goal is safety. Making sure that we are being safe out when we are constructing the project, the traveling public is safe, we always are very appreciative when travelers follow the speed limit and that’s the number one goal.”
As this project continues, you’ll see more work at South Academy. You’ll also see work from El Paso County’s South Academy Boulevard project. This entire project will be completed in about one year.
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