Colorado Springs city officials: South Academy Boulevard upgrades to take year longer than expected
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Gayle Sturdivant, acting public works director, revealed Wednesday that the safety and infrastructure project along most of South Academy Boulevard won't be completed until 2026, instead of 2025 as expected.
"We knew there were going to be groundwater issues in the area, and those have continued to be a problem," she explained. "There have been some poor (underground) conditions that were worse than we expected. A lot of things have accumulated. It's taking crews longer and they're having to work slower because of it. Remember, the infrastructure in that area dates back to the 1950s and 1960s."
An example of the situation is traffic being gradually reduced to one lane in each direction starting Wednesday on Academy Boulevard between Bijou Street and Airport Road, and remain in that configuration for several weeks.
The change is to allow for the replacement of an old underground stormwater drainage pipe near the Pikes Peak Avenue intersection, midway through the affected area; that objective requires what's described as "deep trench work" and for crews to take additional safety measures.
Pikes Peak, a block east of Academy, is closed because of work on the project; that intersection is the dividing line between North and South Academy.
"They'll also have a de-watering pond in that area because there's a lot of groundwater," Sturdivant added."
A block of Airport, east of Academy, recently reopened because of a similar project; that followed a lengthy closure on Airport, west of Academy, because of a bridge replacement project.
A clerk at a 7 Eleven store near the Academy/Pikes Peak intersection said that business there is down 50% since the $62 million South Academy Boulevard Improvements Project began last year -- however, many merchants are unaware that the project will now take a year longer than originally planned.
Still, a neighbor said that he doesn't mind the inconvenience of noise, traffic congestion and detours.
"(Another) year?" said Gable Jackson. "No problem. Ten years? I've been here that long, I'll take that one year, to fix this all. No problem."
The project is improving safety, mobility, pedestrian access, drainage and utility lines.
The second section of the project on South Academy is between Fountain Boulevard and Jet Wing Drive; lanes between Jet Wing and Chelton Road are temporarily realigned to allow for underground water line work.
The overall project began last year; Sturdivant said that the cost isn't expected to increase because of the delay.
A KRDO viewer contacted The Road Warrior and asked why so many projects are happening at the same time on the southeast side of town.
"I can understand the need for one project," the viewer wrote in an email. "But we have six projects inm\ a four-square-block area. It makes it hard to travel through this part of town when there's so much construction."
Sturdivant confirmed the number of projects on the southeast side, but said that at least half of them are El Paso County or Colorado Department of Transportation projects -- including a bridge repair project that was unexpected.
