US 24 Frontage Road reopens along 8th Street in Colorado Springs after two-month closure

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Northbound drivers on the north end of 8th Street likely will have mixed feelings about the latest changes in the ongoing improvements project there.

The good news is that crews reopened the two eastbound lanes on the US 24 Frontage Road between 8th Street and Cimarron Street (US 24), as well as the right turn lane to the road.

We believe that happened around midnight.

The traffic alignment in that area will continue: One northbound lane and two southbound lanes open on 8th Street across the Fountain Creek bridge.

However, the closed lanes have shifted to the west, opening the right northbound lane for the first time in months and requiring a street sweeper to clean up accumulated dust on Thursday morning.

The single northbound lane creates frequent backups that often stretch to the 8th Street hill at Motor City Drive, which is the project's southern boundary.

Officials said that the continued traffic alignment is necessary for crews to continue repair work on the 75-year-old bridge, and for them to keep drilling to locate underground utility lines under 8th Street.

The drilling is in advance of a water main replacement that Colorado Springs Utilities expects to start later this month.

You can see numerous colored markings to indicate the utility locations.

Earlier this week, a crew replaced crosswalk markings at the 8th Street/Cimarron Street intersection, which is the project's northern boundary.

The initial plan was for the frontage road to reopen on Tuesday night, but rain delayed it, and crews were able to reopen the road in advance of snow expected overnight Thursday.

Officials also had planned to reopen the road at 7 p.m. Thursday, but needed to finish lane shifting and restriping first.

The frontage road had been closed since a week before Christmas — except for briefly reopening between Christmas and New Year's.