COLORADO SPRINGS — Long-awaited road improvements to portions of South Academy Boulevard in Colorado Springs will begin at the end of February.
The construction, costing $59 million, includes brand-new pavement, a new drainage system, and better pedestrian access on South Academy between Bijou Street and Airport Road (segment one) and East Fountain Boulevard and Jet Wing Drive (segment two.)
"If you've been traveling in the area, you can see that the pavement is very deteriorated. We have a lot of areas where we have ponding water in the roadway," said Gayle Sturdivant, Colorado Springs city engineer.
The project will use money from the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority (PPRTA) to improve 18 lane miles of road. During construction, the road will be limited to two lanes instead of three.
The city held an open house Thursday night for residents in the area to learn more about the construction and how it will impact them.
Hattie Shankland lives in a townhome off South Academy and said the possible traffic from construction coming to the area would be nothing new.
"We have been under construction and dodging pile-ons and cones and heavy equipment for what a year and a half now?" she said. "Another year and a half isn't going to make any difference."
Jack Hurney and Leyna Bencomo said the construction will impact them as well. Bencomo said she is happy the city is giving much-needed attention to the southeast part of the city.
"It's nice to see attention paid to this part of town. Because we know there's a lot of growth up north, but we're glad to see that it's not being neglected in the southeast," she said.
The South Academy improvement project is set to finish in 2025.
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