Attention, drivers in the South Academy Boulevard area: get ready for a series of road closures and detours this upcoming week as El Paso County continues its road widening efforts. The Military Access, Mobility & Safety Improvement Program (MAMSIP) announced that starting Sunday, Aug. 24, there will be alternating lane closures on northbound South Academy Boulevard between Venetucci Boulevard and Interstate 25 from 7 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. for asphalt paving operations, according to CDOT.
The first of these closures will see the on-ramp to northbound South Academy Boulevard from Pikes Peak State College parking lot B and the southbound I-25 on-ramp from northbound South Academy Boulevard closed, while detours will guide traffic around the construction sites; however, the exact mapping of these alternate routes was not specified in the announcement. There will additionally be full overnight closures of northbound South Academy Boulevard between I-25 and US Highway 85/87 and between US 85/87 and Milton Proby Parkway for road milling and new asphalt paving, these closures will occur on Sunday, Aug. 24, Wednesday, Aug. 27, and Thursday, Aug. 28, and again on Monday, Aug. 25 and Tuesday, Aug. 26.
For those needing to navigate these areas, detailed detour instructions have been provided. Traffic will be rerouted onto southbound I-25, Mesa Ridge Parkway, US 85/87, Fontaine Boulevard, Grinnell Boulevard, Bradley Road, and Hancock Expressway, depending on which section of South Academy is closed at the time. Motorists should also note that there will be a southbound I-25 off-ramp right lane closure at South Academy Boulevard on Monday, Aug. 25, from 8 to 11 a.m. Contractors will be performing electrical work on the roadway, which may lead to additional delays.
Further impacts include lane reductions on Bradley Road under the South Academy Boulevard bridge, flagged to allow a single alternating lane from Monday, Aug. 25 through Friday, Aug. 29, 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for slope paving work, and all this work is part of a major improvement project aimed at easing congestion by expanding South Academy Boulevard from two lanes to three in each direction over a 1.5-mile section. All closures and detours are weather-dependent and are subject to change, as the local climate can be unpredictable and could cause adjustments to the construction schedule.
