Various lane closures are scheduled on South Academy Boulevard in Colorado Springs as part of the ongoing Military Access, Mobility & Safety Improvement Project. According to project managers, both northbound and southbound lanes between Venetucci Boulevard and Milton Proby Parkway will be affected on Monday, Dec. 22 from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Tuesday, Dec. 23 from 7 a.m. to noon. During these periods, crews will install signage and complete remaining work on roadway, traffic signals, and lighting. Two lanes of traffic will remain open in each direction.
Officials advise drivers to observe posted speed limits, keep safe distances from other vehicles, and stay alert for workers and equipment in the construction area.
Construction activities will pause at noon on Tuesday, Dec. 23 through Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026 to reduce potential traffic delays during the Christmas and New Year holiday period. Work may resume only if emergency operations are needed.
The South Academy Boulevard Widening Project involves expanding a roughly 1.5-mile stretch of the road—from the I-25 interchange across US 85/87 to just before Milton E. Proby Parkway—from two lanes to three in each direction to help relieve congestion issues that have been recurring in the area. The project includes upgrades such as improved drainage systems, lighting enhancements, new striping, wider shoulders, modified merge lanes, sound walls, and bridge improvements. Completion is expected by early 2026; El Paso County is overseeing the project.
A safety assessment conducted by the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) identified safety problems along this corridor and analyzed crash causes. The planned transportation improvements are intended as mitigation measures designed to reduce accidents and address infrastructure deficiencies contributing to crashes in this section of roadway.
“These transportation improvements are mitigation measures to reduce crashes, improve infrastructure, and address physical deficiencies that contribute to crashes in the corridor,” according to CDOT officials. “Over the next 20 years, the project is estimated to result in fewer deaths, injuries and crashes on the four MAMSIP corridors.”
The broader Military Access, Mobility & Safety Improvement Program (MAMSIP) covers I-25, Colorado Highway 94, South Academy Boulevard and Charter Oak Ranch Road—routes critical for connecting military installations such as Fort Carson and several Space Force bases in El Paso County—and aims for safer mobility while supporting economic stability in the region with enhanced redundancy for strategic movement between bases.
The program receives partial funding from an $18 million BUILD grant awarded by the US Department of Transportation.
More information about ongoing construction schedules can be found at codot.gov/projects/militaryaccesssafetyimprovements.
