Overnight closures and lane reductions are scheduled for South Academy Boulevard in Colorado Springs during the week of October 26, 2025, as part of ongoing work on the Military Access, Mobility & Safety Improvement Project. These closures will allow crews to work on bridge expansion joints and other infrastructure improvements.
A full closure of southbound South Academy Boulevard between Milton Proby Parkway and the CanAm Highway (US 85/87) is planned for Wednesday, October 29, from 7 p.m. to 4:30 a.m., with detours in place. On Thursday, October 30, another full closure will occur between the CanAm Highway and I-25 during the same overnight hours. Both north- and southbound lanes between the CanAm Highway and I-25 will be fully closed overnight on Friday, October 31.
Ongoing lane reductions continue on southbound South Academy Boulevard between I-25 and Coventry Drive through Sunday, October 26, for traffic signal and island installations. Starting Monday, October 27 at 7 a.m., additional lane reductions will be implemented in both directions between I-25 and Coventry Drive for further signal and island work; this configuration is expected to last until November 9.
The inside left turn lanes onto I-25 from both directions on Academy remain closed, leaving only a single left turn lane available each way. Northbound South Academy Boulevard also has an inside left lane closure under I-25.
Motorists should expect delays during peak travel times. Drivers are advised to allow extra time for their commutes, maintain safe following distances, merge early near work zones, and plan ahead if accessing I-25 southbound due to required early lane shifts.
Temporary full closures of the southbound I-25 exit slip ramp and adjacent auxiliary lane at South Academy Boulevard are scheduled from Monday, October 27 through Friday, October 31 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., as ditch work is completed in the area. During these times, drivers exiting southbound I-25 intending to turn west must proceed straight for about 200 feet before making a hard right at the intersection.
A center alignment shift for east- and westbound South Academy Boulevard between I-25 and Fountain Creek remains in effect to facilitate outside lane construction; this alignment is expected until November 2025. Lanes across the northbound bridge over US 85/87 are narrowed for continued bridgework.
All scheduled closures are weather-dependent and may change.
The project involves widening approximately a mile-and-a-half stretch of South Academy Boulevard—from two lanes to three each way—to help relieve congestion near key military installations such as Fort Carson, Peterson Space Force Base, Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station, and Schriever Space Force Base. Improvements include upgraded drainage systems, lighting enhancements, new striping, expanded shoulders, modified merge lanes, sound walls, and bridge repairs or replacements. The project is managed by El Paso County with an anticipated completion date in early 2026.
According to officials from the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), “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 is partly funded by an $18 million BUILD grant from the US Department of Transportation. CDOT states that “the delivery of these improvements will strengthen and enhance the redundancy of strategic movement between nationally significant El Paso County military installations.”
For more information about this project or to sign up for alerts visit codot.gov/projects/militaryaccesssafetyimprovements.
