UPDATE FEBRUARY 9:
Roadwork begins Monday, Feb 12 on the project to rebuild the Academy Boulevard bridge over Cottonwood Creek. During the week of Feb. 12-16, commuters in the area will encounter the following impacts:
- No left turns from southbound Academy to Brookwood Drive, Monday through Thursday. This work is necessary to remove the median and prepare the roadway for a traffic shift occurring in the coming weeks. Motorists will be able to access Brookwood from other directions.
- Cottonwood Creek Trail will be closed from Academy Boulevard eastward approximately one half mile, to the Dublin Park trail spur. Trail users will be detoured along the Dublin Park trail spur. This closure will be in place for the duration of the project.
- A current lane closure on southbound Academy south of York Road will be in place through Friday. This closure is necessary for utility relocations.
- The left lane of northbound Academy will be closed for approximately 1,000 feet south of Brookwood to accommodate median and utility work.
All construction is weather and resource-dependent. Motorists should expect delays and use alternate routes.
The project will replace the aging bridge over the creek with a modern structure up to current standards, improve pedestrian safety by adding sidewalk on the northbound side of Academy Boulevard where it crosses the creek, and fill a gap in the Cottonwood Creek Trail between Academy and Vincent Drive. Work is expected to continue through 2018.
For project information, visit coloradosprings.gov/accbridge or call the project information line at 719-314-5018.
UPDATE JAN 26: Work begins on Academy-Cottonwood Project
Lane closures begin Jan 29 on Academy Boulevard south of York Road
Beginning Monday, Jan 29, the right lane of southbound Academy Boulevard will be closed from south of York Road to the bridge over Cottonwood Creek. The closure is necessary for utility relocations and will be in place for approximately five weeks.
Tuesday and Wednesday, Jan 30-31, the left lane of northbound Academy Boulevard will be closed between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. in the same area, for utility and median work.
Motorists should expect delays and are encouraged to use alternative routes.
For project details, visit coloradosprings.gov/accbridge.
Construction on the Academy Boulevard bridge over Cottonwood Creek will begin in early February. This important project replaces an aging, substandard bridge, bringing the structure up to modern safety standards, and adds a long-awaited connection to the Cottonwood Creek Trail under Academy Boulevard. Next week, Jan. 30-Feb. 3, commuters on Academy may encounter intermittent lane closures south of York/Brookwood while crews locate utilities buried under the roadway.
Learn more about the project schedule, construction impacts, and other details at an open house hosted by the City of Colorado Springs and the project team. It’s an open format, with no scheduled presentations, so come at your leisure and get the info you need!
Open House Details
When: Tuesday Jan. 30, 5:30-8 p.m.
Where: Fire Station 14, 1875 Dublin Blvd.
Visit coloradosprings.gov/accbridge for more project information.
The design process began nearly two years ago. The project team studied multiple options for replacing or rehabilitating the bridge and where the trail should cross both Academy Boulevard and the creek. Public input was a critical element of the decision process, including a public meeting in May 2016, where nearly 80 percent of respondents favored the new trail extension on the south side of the creek.
Key Elements:
- The existing bridge will be replaced in three phases, maintaining two lanes of traffic open in each direction at all times.
- Access to businesses on Academy Boulevard will be maintained at all times.
- Sidewalk will be added on the east side of Academy. The present bridge has no northbound sidewalk.
- The project will extend the Cottonwood Creek Trail westward under the new Academy Boulevard bridge, on the south side of the creek. Approximately 300 feet south of the bridge, the trail will cross Cottonwood Creek via a pedestrian bridge, connecting to the segment of the trail that runs on the north side.
- New drop structures in Cottonwood Creek will help control erosion and creek flow.
Impacts:
- Construction will require the temporary closure of one (1) Springs Transit bus stop
- Extensive utility work in the middle of Academy Boulevard will require some temporary turn lane closures.
Schedule:
Construction is expected to continue through most of 2018.