Monday marks beginning of end for Interstate 25 construction between Colorado Springs & Fountain 

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Drivers will soon get relief from two years of lane closures, detours and slower traffic on a 7.5-mile stretch of I-25 between South Academy Boulevard and Santa Fe Avenue.

The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) has been working to improve safety along the busy corridor and says that this should be the final week of traffic impacts.

In the spring of 2022, crews began replacing old asphalt with new concrete pavement and building two new overpasses over South Academy.

Starting overnight Monday, workers will shift lanes of I-25 on the overpasses to their final configuration; the changes will continue through overnight hours this week.

CDOT allowed KRDO 13's Road Warrior on the bridge last week to see the final changes being made; among them, widening the highway and the overpasses to improve traffic safety.

"Right now, we have traffic in a temporary alignment, and we'll end up shifting traffic," Randy Johnson, CDOT project engineer, explained. "You can see we have a minimal shoulder over there right now, about seven feet (wide). That'll end up being 12 feet In the final alignment. We'll have a 12-foot shoulder to 12-foot driving length. And here on the inside, that'll end up being a 24-foot shoulder on the inside."

The wider shoulders provide drivers with more room to safely pull over in case of a breakdown or other emergency.

Shifting lanes to their final configuration will, however, require temporary closures of I-25 between South Academy and Fountain during overnight hours this week; crews will remove concrete barriers, install signs and finish drainage work.

More temporary overnight closures of South Academy under the overpasses this week also are scheduled, so that workers can install lights under the bridges.

By this time next week, traffic along the affected segment of I-25 should return to normal -- weather permitting.

Johnson said that repairing guardrails, replacing damaged concrete panels and other minor tasks should be finished by the end of October.

"The walk-through with our maintenance folks will take place at night and it'll probably take four nights," he said. "We'll break it into quadrants and that'll probably take place the week of October 7th."

For more information, visit: https://www.codot.gov/projects/militaryaccesssafetyimprovements/i25-efficiencycomponent.