COLORADO SPRINGS — Colorado Springs Utilities is working to inform the public about a water valve replacementproject that will place lane closures on Academy Blvd later this month.
Here’s what you need to know about the project. There are three phases of construction.
Phase 1 begins on April 24 with work along N. Academy Blvd from Maizeland Rd to Austin Bluffs Parkway. To get this part done in a month, construction will be taking place 24 hours a day. Some people will experience water outages from May 2-4. Once this wraps up, phase 2 of the project won’t start until Spring 2024.
You should keep an eye out for lane closures and construction zone areas that will show reduced speeds. This is expected to cause more traffic in the area because Academy Blvd. is a busy road already. I spoke with local business owner Barry Biggs, who ownsP.C. Brokers. He’s had his shop for 34 years. Barry says he has seen Academy Blvd. change drastically over the years. He does expect the project to impact his business.
“We close at six, we may consider staying open later to allow for traffic. We have a lot of people even now that are delayed by traffic because of the normal difficulties. We these closures and construction, I suspect we might be staying open later for our business,” said Biggs.
“The supplies from our suppliers, UPS, FedEx, we are getting shipments every day, and those have been delayed for the last few years because of pandemic issues, and now with this construction on top of that, I’m not looking forward to this at all.”
Still, Barry tells me the growth of the city has been good for his business over the years. He says this is just a month-long inconvenience and it too, shall pass.
Read more about the project from Colorado Springs Utilities
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