New, significant traffic impacts start Tuesday on 8th Street project in Colorado Springs

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — To many drivers, it may seem as though the improvements project on 8th Street has lasted forever, but it actually began only six months ago.

A new round of traffic changes was scheduled to begin at 6 a.m. Tuesday, but didn't actually happen until 9:30 a.m., and traffic was reduced to one lane northbound across the Fountain Creek bridge.

No reason for the delay was given.

That's when crews closed both lanes of the eastbound Frontage Road between 8th Street and Cimarron Street (US 24) for two months; part of the right lane has been closed since work began.

The traffic impacts don't end there.

At 6 a.m. on Wednesday, the right lane on northbound 8th Street over the Fountain Creek bridge will be closed all day, until 5 p.m.

The closures will allow crews to install three steel girders on each side of the bridge; each beam is 64 feet long and weighs nine tons.

This project phase will construct a third lane on northbound 8th Street that will become the dedicated turn lane onto the Frontage Road.

The closures are also part of the ongoing work to replace the former Midland Trail Bridge with a wider sidewalk or multi-use path.

Northbound 8th Street drivers must now reach Cimarron Street and Interstate 25 as they did before the Frontage Road opened in 2017 — by turning right at the intersection of 8th and Cimarron.

The westbound lanes of the Frontage Road will remain open, as will both southbound lanes on 8th Street across the bridge, although officials say that additional lane closures may be necessary.

One driver became confused by the closure and began to turn the wrong way onto the westbound Frontage Road before realizing the mistake.

Businesses in the area will remain open, but some drivers may prefer to avoid the area entirely.

For some drivers, the closures are just the latest adjustment in the process.

"Was I surprised that both of those lanes are gonna be closed for the next couple of months? Yes!" said Jennifer Bowen. "I know we need street improvements and I know that I can still get over there, but it's still a bit of a pain."

Selah Dey said that she won't miss the construction traffic as she prepares to move to South Carolina.

"It's definitely made other drivers more aggressive," she observed. "Even if you're knowledgeable about the changes that are coming and you've been brought up to speed, people are still angry and frustrated at the interruptions to their days."

Another significant traffic impact is ahead this winter, when crews will replace a 24-inch water main from just north of the 8th and Cimarron intersection to Motor City Drive.

The $12 million project is funded by the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority (PPRTA) and is scheduled for completion this summer.

Other objectives include drainage improvements, building sidewalks in areas that don't have them, and traffic signal upgrades.

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