Ongoing construction on South Academy Boulevard in Colorado Springs will bring lane reductions and temporary closures starting Thursday, September 4. The work is part of the Military Access, Mobility & Safety Improvement Program (MAMSIP), which aims to improve traffic flow and safety along key transportation corridors.
Lane reductions will affect both northbound and southbound lanes between Venetucci Boulevard and Coventry Drive. Crews will install new traffic signals and islands, with this alignment expected to remain through September 2025. Northbound South Academy Boulevard’s two left turn lanes for the I-25 northbound on-ramp will be reduced to one, though two through lanes in each direction will stay open.
Temporary overnight full closures are scheduled for several locations:
– Northbound South Academy Boulevard under I-25 on Tuesday, September 2 from 7 p.m. to 5:30 a.m., with a detour via southbound I-25 and Mesa Ridge Parkway.
– Northbound South Academy Boulevard between US 85/87 and Milton Proby Parkway on September 2, 5, and 6 during the same hours.
– Northbound South Academy Boulevard between I-25 and US Highway 85/87 on September 3 and 4.
Southbound I-25 at South Academy Boulevard will also see alternating lane closures on Tuesday, September 2 from 8 p.m. to 4:30 a.m.
A shift of east- and westbound South Academy Boulevard between I-25 and Fountain Creek towards the center is ongoing so crews can work on outside lanes; this is expected to last until September 2025. Lanes across the southbound bridge over US Highway 85/87 are narrowed for continued bridgework.
Motorists are advised that merge lengths have been shortened at entrance ramps due to these changes. A new on-ramp from US Highway 85/87 onto South Academy Boulevard has opened as part of the project.
All closures are weather-dependent and may change if conditions require it. Work will pause at noon Friday through Monday, September 1 in recognition of Labor Day weekend.
The improvements focus on widening about a mile-and-a-half section of South Academy Boulevard from two lanes to three in each direction. Additional upgrades include improved drainage facilities, lighting, striping, expanded shoulders, modified merge lanes, sound walls, and bridgework. The project is managed by El Paso County with completion targeted for early 2026.
According to CDOT’s safety assessment of the corridor, these improvements aim to reduce crashes by addressing physical deficiencies contributing to accidents. Over the next two decades, officials estimate fewer deaths, injuries, and crashes along MAMSIP corridors as a result of these efforts.
“CDOT conducted a safety assessment for the corridor to evaluate the magnitude and nature of safety problems and analyze the causes of crashes. These transportation improvements are mitigation measures to reduce crashes, improve infrastructure, and address physical deficiencies that contribute to crashes in the corridor. Over the next 20 years, the project is estimated to result in fewer deaths, injuries and crashes on the four MAMSIP corridors.”
The Military Access, Mobility & Safety Improvement Program covers not only South Academy Boulevard but also includes projects along I-25 (between Colorado Springs and Monument), Colorado Highway 94 and Charter Oak Ranch Road (serving Fort Carson). This program received partial funding from an $18 million BUILD grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Transportation (https://www.transportation.gov/BUILDgrants).
These upgrades support economic stability by improving access between El Paso County’s military installations—Fort Carson Army Base; Peterson Space Force Base; Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station; Schriever Space Force Base—and surrounding communities (https://www.codot.gov/projects/militaryaccesssafetyimprovements).
For more information or updates about ongoing construction activities or detours related to MAMSIP projects visit https://www.codot.gov/projects/militaryaccesssafetyimprovements or register for alerts by texting MAMSIP to 888-970-9665.
