Nighttime roadwork on I-25 could bring delays Tuesday
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- On Tuesday, September 6, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and SEMA Construction will be closing lanes overnight as a part of their Military Access, Mobility & Safety Improvement Project.
“We're doing work like replacing bridges, widening bridges, replacing asphalt with concrete," said Michelle Peulen, Communication Manager for CDOT. "So it's a significant project.”
On Tuesday night, drivers will encounter alternating right and left lane closures on northbound and southbound I-25 (Mile Point 127 to 136) located between South Academy Boulevard and Santa Fe Avenue for pothole patching.
CDOT says there will also be a nighttime mobile striping operation along the same stretch of I-25 that night, which will require single lane closures.
Lanes should be back open Wednesday by 6 a.m.
Those who take this stretch of I-25 often already have seen the temporary barrier with 11 ft. lanes and 2 ft. shoulders. This is in place 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The barriers will be up until the project ends in 2024, and with winter approaching, snow on the roads could make that narrow construction zone even more dangerous.
"We will continue to do snow plowing through that area once we get into the winter months and start seeing storms," said Peulen. "One thing we do ask is that drivers slow down. The speed limit through that area is 55, and when we start seeing those winter months and storm conditions, that is going to impact those roadways as well. So we just ask that you slow down and we'll continue to snow plow and maintain the roadways.”
CDOT says plows will be able to get through the barriers to move snow to the side of the interstate.
“When we plow the inside lane, then we have a second plow that follows in the outside lane and pushes it all to the outside median," said Peulen.
Normal working hours for the project are 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Friday when there is no overnight work to be completed.
The speed limit in this area has been reduced to 55 miles per hour.
CDOT says traffic delays are expected and drivers are urged to use extra caution while traveling in the new traffic pattern. Fines will be doubled through the construction zone.
CDOT acknowledges the construction is inconvenient but says when the project is completed at the end of 2024, it will improve safety, efficiency, economic vitality, and reinforce strategic mobility throughout the west and south Colorado Springs.
For more information on the project, click here.
