Voyager Parkway bridge project in Colorado Springs won’t be finished before opening of nearby Ford Amphitheater

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- When work began last November, a bridge project on the north end of Voyager Parkway was to be completed before the opening of the new Ford Amphitheater nearby.

However, the schedule changed for both projects.

Tim Mitros, project manager for the Copper Ridge Metro District overseeing the bridge construction, said that the amphitheater is opening ahead of schedule while the bridge work is a month behind.

"The main change to our schedule is that we had a quarter of the cost of the bridge in relocating utilities," he explained. "There's been a lot of coordination in Colorado Springs electric and water. So, about $4 million is just in utility relocations and this includes fiber optic lines. We had an issue with Lumen Technologies -- which used to be Centurylink -- getting their line out of the way. They also service the military bases around here. So, we couldn't just cut it and move it. We had to wait for them to get it out of the way. That did delay us approximately one month."

Mitros said that the delay shouldn't affect traffic in and out of the amphitheater, but it may affect drivers trying to detour around the venue on event nights; the new bridge will look similar to the bridge on Spectrum Loop that crosses the entrance and exit ramps between Voyager and I-25.

The $11 million bridge project is the latest phase in the ongoing effort to extend North Powers Boulevard to Interstate 25, and should be finished by Halloween.

"They are currently designing the next phase of our bridges, which is Flying Horse Club Drive, Ridgeline Drive and then we're having a pedestrian crossing over the golf course," Mitros said. "There's going to be a new bridge on Powers. It's going to go over Old Northgate Road. There will be a bridge over Black Squirrel Creek, and then there will be the interchange at State Highway 83."

Plans call for that next phase of the Powers extension to start next year and be completed in 2030.