COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.— Beginning Thursday, April 29, there will be a full closure on Airport Road directly in front of Fire Station #8, between Lakewood Circle and Audubon Drive for sanitary sewer work. Motorists will be detoured at Fountain Boulevard or Pikes Peak Avenue for east / west access. The road closure will be in place as follows:
April 29 – mid-June – Airport Road full closure for sanitary sewer work
- The closure will start at 4 a.m. on Thursday, April 29.
- Access to fire department, residences, and businesses will remain open at all times on Margorie Lee Drive by way of Lakewood Circle.
- One lane through the work area will be open for emergency vehicle use only.
- The north sidewalk remains open to pedestrians and bicyclists. Directional signage for pedestrian traffic is in place.
- Flaggers will be available at the start of project to assist traffic with traffic management.
- A detour is in place: Use Fountain Boulevard or Pikes Peak Avenue for east / west access.
One-day closure, Wednesday, April 28:
Temporary Lane Closures – 7 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. eastbound Airport Road will be reduced to one lane at Lakewood Circle and the intersection with Lakewood Circle will be fully closed for construction crews to remove a raised median island.
- Use Marjorie Lee Drive to access Airport Road and Fire Department, residences, and businesses on Lakewood Circle on April 28 only.
- Removal of the island is needed to accommodate left turn movements.
On-Going Closure – One lane of eastbound Airport Road continues to be closed between just east of Chelton and Audubon roads. Speed limits are reduced to 25 mph through this construction area. This lane closure will remain in place for approximately two months and is expected to reopen in mid-June. This lane closure is necessary to accommodate construction access to the work area for the new sanitary sewer work on Valley Hi Golf Course.
Bridge Reconstruction – This aspect of the project will start in fall 2021 after the summer months to avoid the risk of the Spring Creek channel flooding and washout typically associated with summer monsoon rains. Completion is anticipated in spring 2022. Temporary improvements at Airport Road and Marjorie Lee Lane will be installed to enable normal traffic operations throughout the summer months prior to the bridge work starting.
Project Information:
Airport Road is an east-west, principal arterial, that carries traffic over Spring Creek on a 47-year-old bridge that is deteriorating, is too narrow to accommodate sidewalks, and has less than half the capacity needed to pass the 100-year flood under the roadway. The Spring Creek Bridge is located approximately 730 feet west of Academy Boulevard adjacent to Fire Station #8 and just north of the Valley Hi Golf Course. The creek flow has overtopped the roadway on several occasions, as recently as last summer. Flow crossing the roadway is a hazard to motorists and pedestrians and could affect response times of the fire department during times when they are most needed.
The existing 1964 bridge does not accommodate pedestrian traffic and is located in a community that is dependent on pedestrian accessibility.
The City of Colorado Springs initiated a project to rebuild the Spring Creek Bridge, increasing its width to accommodate sidewalks and deepen the channel below to enable flood flows to pass below the roadway.
The Airport Road over Spring Creek Bridge replacement is a voter-approved, Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority (PPRTA) II, A-listed project. The required major utility relocations work is jointly funded by PPRTA II and Colorado Springs Utilities. The upsized sanitary sewer is funded by Springs Utilities.
For more information about this project, visit: ColoradoSprings.gov/airportrd
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