Driver alert: Partial, full closures of South Academy/Hancock intersection in Colorado Springs start today

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- We're now three months into the second major construction project along South Academy Boulevard, and the next phase begins on Monday.

For the next two weeks, the east side of the South Academy Boulevard/Hancock Expressway will be closed through May 8; from that weekend until noon on Monday, May 11, the entire intersection will be closed.

The closure will allow crews to install a new water line in the area.

Detour signs will guide traffic around the closures, and we can also expect occasional daytime lane closures, temporary changes to bus stops and sidewalks, and construction near some parking lot driveways.

The goal of the $100 million project is to upgrade the infrastructure installed in the 1960s by improving drainage, providing smoother driving, increasing safety and accessibility for pedestrians, and relocating utility lines.

Bumpy driving, flash flooding, and water pooling have been issues along South Academy for decades.

The current construction stretches from Hancock, south to Jet Wing Drive, but will eventually progress as far north as Fountain Boulevard.

Officials originally planned for work to end this year, but paused construction last year to spend more time talking with neighbors, merchants, and drivers about how to lessen the impacts experienced during the first phase of construction.

That phase, between Bijou Street and Airport Road, started in 2024 and ended in 2024.

Crews completed Monday's closure at around 11 a.m.

For more information, visit: https://coloradosprings.gov/AcademyBlvdImprovements?mc_cid=766a9578e8&mc_eid=4bcfa511cf.