Traffic updates: Part of I-25 closed upcoming days
Christian Murdock, The Gazette
A major project along the interstate is reaching its end, but cone season continues around parts of Colorado Springs and El Paso County.
Here are a few projects that may be affecting commutes this week.
Interstate 25
One phase of the multi-million dollar, four-year Military Access, Mobility & Safety Improvements Project is reaching its end this month as crews finish improvements to Interstate 25 on the south side of the city.
CDOT project spokesperson Bob Wilson said that the remaining work includes repairing and stabilizing the roadway, which has already undergone major construction phases.
“We’ve got about three weeks left of what we’d call punch list items,” he said.
A section of Interstate 25 will be closed later this week as crews perform work on concrete panels and repair damage to guardrails. The closure will affect overnight traffic on southbound I-25 between South Academy Boulevard and Santa Fe Avenue.
The work will improve safety, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.
- Friday, July 18 from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m.
- Saturday, July 19 from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m.
- Sunday, July 20 from 8 p.m. to 4:30 a.m.
Drivers will need to divert off the interstate via exit 135 to eastbound South Academy Boulevard. Traffic will then need to turn onto U.S. 85/87 to Santa Fe Avenue before reentering I-25. CDOT said to expect delays.
Overall, four regional road projects comprised the $159 million Military Access, Mobility and Safety Improvement Project.
Work began in the summer of 2021 on an approximately 7½-mile segment of Interstate 25 beginning at South Academy Boulevard extending south to the Santa Fe Avenue exit in Fountain.
Officials at the time said they expected the road improvements would result in 28 fewer deaths over 20 years along this segment of I-25.
South Academy Boulevard
While the I-25 section of the Military Access, Mobility & Safety Improvements Project is reaching its conclusion, El Paso County’s portion of the project to widen South Academy Boulevard to three lanes continues.
Starting this week, northbound South Academy will see a temporary closure between U.S. 85/87 and Bradley Road. The closure will let crews reconfigure safety barriers and put down striping to shift lanes.
- Thursday, July 17, 7 p.m. to 4:30 a.m.
Northbound South Academy Boulevard traffic will exit onto U.S. 85/87, travel south to Main Street, travel north to Bradley Road, and travel north to reenter South Academy Boulevard.
Also on South Academy, the southbound off-ramp to U.S. 85/87 will be closed later this week for work on the bridge.
- Thursday, July 17, 8:45 p.m. to 3 a.m.
The right lane of southbound South Academy will also be closed approaching the exit. Drivers will detour by traveling until Venetucci Boulevard, then turn onto B Street, then U.S. 85/87.
Ramona Avenue
A street just south of downtown Colorado Springs will be closed starting on Monday. The closure, expected to last through mid-August, will allow the city to add new signals and curb ramps that comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act to the intersection of Ramona Avenue and South Nevada Avenue.
Access to nearby businesses, which include Sprouts Market, will remain throughout the project, according to the city. Traffic on South Nevada Avenue will continue as normal, but Ramona Avenue traffic will have to divert around the intersection.
The detour for westbound Ramona Avenue will take drivers south on South Nevada Avenue, then west on St. Elmo Avenue, north on Tejon Street and back to Ramona.
Eastbound traffic on Ramona will need to turn south onto Tejon Street then to St. Elmo Street, South Nevada Avenue, then to Ramona.
The project is part of wider revitalization work for the South Nevada Avenue corridor. In partnership with CDOT, the city plans to upgrade the Ramona Avenue and St. Elmo Avenue intersections for safety and accessibility.
More information can be found at coloradosprings.gov/southnevadasignals.
