Motorists in Colorado Springs should expect several lane and ramp closures along South Academy Boulevard and nearby highways during the week of August 3, 2025, as construction crews continue work on the South Academy Boulevard Widening Project. According to the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), these closures are part of ongoing efforts to improve safety and mobility along a key corridor that serves both local commuters and military installations.
Northbound South Academy Boulevard will see right lane closures between Interstate 25 and Milton Proby Parkway overnight on Wednesday, August 6, and Thursday, August 7, from 7 p.m. to 4:30 a.m., allowing crews to remove safety barriers. Drivers are advised to follow posted signs and plan for possible delays.
In addition, there will be a full closure of the southbound I-25 off-ramp to westbound South Academy Boulevard from Monday, August 4 through Friday, August 8, between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Crews will perform earthwork grading and electrical work near the roadway during this period. The westbound auxiliary lane will also be closed. A detour has been established for traffic exiting southbound I-25 onto westbound South Academy.
On Monday, August 4, from 8 to 11 a.m., the southbound US Highway 85/87 on-ramp to southbound South Academy Boulevard will shift to the inside so workers can complete electrical tasks near the road.
A shift moving east- and westbound lanes of South Academy Boulevard toward the center median between I-25 and Fountain Creek remains in effect until September 2025 while crews focus on outer lanes. Lane narrowing is also in place across the southbound bridge over US Highway 85/87 for ongoing bridge work.
Drivers are reminded that some ramps have shortened merge lengths due to construction realignments—including a new on-ramp from US Highway 85/87 onto South Academy Boulevard—and caution is urged at all entrance points.
These scheduled closures may change depending on weather conditions.
The improvements being made as part of this project involve widening about one-and-a-half miles of South Academy Boulevard—from two lanes to three in each direction—between the I-25 interchange past US Highway 85/87 up to Milton Proby Parkway. Additional upgrades include enhanced drainage facilities, lighting improvements, updated striping, expanded shoulders, modified merge lanes, sound walls, and bridgework. El Paso County manages this project with an expected completion date by early 2026.
CDOT previously conducted a safety assessment for this corridor which identified significant crash risks attributed to physical deficiencies in infrastructure. The planned transportation improvements are intended as mitigation measures aiming “to reduce crashes, improve infrastructure, and address physical deficiencies that contribute to crashes in the corridor.” Over a twenty-year period following completion of these projects across four corridors included in the Military Access, Mobility & Safety Improvement Program (MAMSIP), CDOT estimates fewer deaths and injuries due to reduced crash rates.
According to CDOT’s announcement: “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.”
This work is part of MAMSIP—a program aimed at improving travel efficiency along Interstate 25 (I-25), Colorado Highway 94 (CO-94), South Academy Boulevard (CO-83), and Charter Oak Ranch Road—with partial funding from an $18 million federal BUILD grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation (https://www.transportation.gov/buildgrants). The upgrades are designed not only for general traffic but also support strategic movements between major military installations such as Fort Carson (https://home.army.mil/carson/index.php), Peterson Space Force Base (https://www.peterson.spaceforce.mil/), Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station (https://www.norad.mil/About-NORAD/Cheyenne-Mountain-Air-Force-Station/), and Schriever Space Force Base (https://www.schriever.spaceforce.mil/).
For updates or more information about MAMSIP projects or current traffic impacts:
Website: codot.gov/projects/militaryaccesssafetyimprovements
Email: [email protected]
Hotline: (719)800-2162
Register for alerts by texting MAMSIP to 888-970-9665
