Overnight change Wednesday on 8th Street project in Colorado Springs as Fountain Creek bridge phase winds down
Scott Harrison
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Travelers along 8th Street will see one last major traffic shift on the Fountain Creek bridge starting with work overnight on Wednesday, March 18, as the west side of the 75-year-old structure will close so that crews can continue bridge repairs.
Traffic will remain open in both directions during this work. The bridge is scheduled to open in its new, final configuration next month.
Work will begin at 7 p.m. on Wednesday and should be completed by 5 a.m. on Thursday.
Northbound traffic will have one open lane across the bridge, and southbound traffic will have two open lanes.
Officials expect this phase of construction to last four weeks and include rehabilitating the bridge deck and repairing the sidewalk on the west side of the bridge.
When this phase is complete, the bridge moves into its final configuration, with two through lanes in each direction and a third northbound lane that feeds into the eastbound frontage road to U.S. Highway 24.
The new multi-use sidewalk will open on the east side of the bridge.
Crews will return to the bridge in late spring for final asphalt paving and striping.
South of the bridge, crews have finished drilling to locate utilities under 8th Street and found many previously unmarked underground utilities between Motor City Drive and the Fountain Creek bridge.
Officials said the project team is now revising the design documents and construction phases to reduce additional impacts on motorists and businesses.
It’s unclear whether that means a possible delay in the overall project, but two previous projects — the new bridge on Voyager Parkway and the relocation of utility lines on Austin Bluffs Parkway — were delayed months after unmarked utility lines were found.
Remaining work on 8th Street includes replacing a water main, installing sidewalks and curbs south of the Fountain Creek bridge, and stormwater upgrades to eliminate flash flooding from two hilly streets above the corridor.
Officials had intended to start the water main replacement this winter.
Access to local businesses remains open and clearly marked.