Utility project on eastbound Austin Bluffs Parkway in Colorado Springs to slow traffic this week
Scott Harrison
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) has started a second project on Austin Bluffs Parkway, west of Academy Boulevard, that will result in reducing traffic to one lane in both directions.
The latest project covers around a half-mile eastbound, from American Drive to just west of Academy; the two closed lanes reopen as they approach the Academy intersection.
Crews are realigning water lines as part of the ongoing project to relocate utility lines to build the Central Bluffs electric substation slightly west, and it currently has two lanes closed between Meadowland Boulevard and Brenner Place.
CSU began shifting lanes and placing barriers for the new project on Monday morning and started excavating work in the afternoon.
In a separate project within the work zone, crews will also replace a water valve and a fire hydrant, requiring four businesses to lose water service until the scheduled completion of both projects on Friday.
CSU is supplying or offering water to the affected businesses.
“There are approximately 3 to 4 businesses that will be without water service,” said CSU spokesperson Jennifer Jordan. “But we have offered alternative sources of water for these businesses. They will be open. We encourage people to still visit them, although there may be slightly different access to get to their parking lots.”
Complicating the parking lot access was paving work happening there; however, it appeared to have been completed by Monday evening.
The manager of a Fazoli’s restaurant said that the paving and lane closures made for slow business on Monday.
The utility stated that crews will work 24 hours a day until the project is completed.
The westbound lane closures along the substation project will continue through November, and the substation should be operating by the end of next year.