The busy intersection of Constitution Avenue and Circle Drive will close Saturday for three weeks, forcing the 45,000 or so motorists who pass through the intersection each day to detour to other major streets in the area.

The closure is needed so crews can dig up Circle Drive just south of the intersection to install a spacious tunnel that will allow bicycle riders and pedestrians on the Rock Island Trail that parallels Constitution to cross under Circle.

Crews from Qwest will relocate extensive telecommunications facilities located under the road at that location.

Crews also will bring in dirt to raise the intersection by about 3 feet to remove a bad dip in the roadway and to improve drainage.

The intersection will be paved with concrete because of the high cost and shortage of asphalt. Crews already have constructed higher curbs and gutters along Circle to accommodate the higher roadbed once construction is finished.

Tight turn lanes – right and left – at the intersection will be widened, and new signals will be installed.

City of Colorado Springs project manager Andy Garton said crews cannot keep one lane open on each street because there isn’t room to install barriers to shield motorists from dangerous drop-offs the grading work will create.

He said the city and the contractor, Blue Ridge Construction, hope to reopen the intersection before the weekend of Nov. 15 and 16, but they created a work schedule that accommodates any delay because of weather.

The project, budgeted for about $1.4 million, will be paid with a combination of funds from the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority, proceeds from a $4 tax on the sale of each new bicycle in the city, money raised by the trails and open space (TOPS) sales tax and money from the city’s traffic engineering department.

Motorists are being asked to avoid the area entirely by using Palmer Park Boulevard to the south, North Circle Drive to Maizeland Road to the north, Union Boulevard to the west and Academy Boulevard to the east. Garton is asking that only those living in the neighborhood use side streets in the area around the intersection.

The city has had meetings with nearby residents and will work with them to provide access to their homes, Garton said. Buses taking students to and from Wasson High School will change their routes during the closure, as will Mountain Metro buses that stop near the intersection.

Wasson students walking to school will be able to use the Rock Island trail and then cross Constitution at a light near the school or they can use Patrician Way, one block north of Constitution. During construction, access will be provided to the shopping center on Circle just south of the intersection.

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Contact the writer: 636-0197 or bill.mckeown@gazettedev.gazette.com

Air Force quarterback Tim Jefferson (7) passes the ball as he’s pressured by San Diego State’s Russell Allen (46) during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008, in San Diego. Photo by (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)