Intermittent lane closures on 8th Street project in Colorado Springs begin on Monday
Scott Harrison
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — On Monday, for the second time in a month, construction crews scheduled daytime lane closures for the ongoing 8th Street improvement project at the bridge across Fountain Creek.
However, the difference between the two is that the closure did not occur last time, and is happening this time.
City officials said that there will be occasional lane closures for the next several weeks on northbound 8th Street over Fountain Creek.
The closures will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The planned right lane closure last month didn’t happen as scheduled; at the last minute, crews decided it wasn’t needed because they were able to access an area that required heavy equipment near that lane.
And the initial decision to close that lane was made only the day before.
For the closure that started Monday, officials announced it last Thursday via the project newsletter, so drivers had more advance notice this time.
The reason for this closure is continued maintenance work on the bridge.
Progress has been slow because of the rainy weather last month.
Crews are widening the bridge’s east side for two reasons: They’ll add a dedicated right turn lane to the US 24 frontage road, and build a wider sidewalk for pedestrians and bicycles.
Officials said that during this phase, one northbound lane will always be open.
The latest closure will likely affect traffic in and out of the Take 5 car wash and the Arby’s restaurant.
The bridge work continues into early next year.
After that, crews will replace a water main on 8th Street, between Cimarron Street and Motor City Drive, install some sidewalks and curbs where they don’t currently exist, and install stormwater drains on two hills above, to eliminate flash flooding.
Paving, the final step, should happen next summer.
The $12 million project, approved by voters in 2012, is funded by sales tax revenue from the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority.
Officials said that the project area carries 30,000 vehicles daily.