Latest phase of overpass project in Colorado Springs to require overnight closures on Powers Boulevard this weekend

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) will close Powers Boulevard north of Airport Road, Friday night through Sunday night, as crews install bridge girders for the overpass that will carry Airport over Powers.

NOTE: CDOT announced on Thursday morning that it has canceled a closure originally scheduled for Thursday night, because of snow that began falling and accumulating; more snow is possible during the day and night.

The $46 million project, which started in June, will realign the intersection and improve traffic flow and safety to and from Peterson Space Force Base.

The intersection also is near Platte Avenue (US 24) and the Colorado Springs Airport.

"They'll set the five girders on the structure that will go over southbound the first night, Wayne Pittman, a CDOT engineer, explained. "Then, they will reset the cranes and set the five girders for the closure over northbound the next night. And then, they will go back to that structure with smaller cranes and set up the overhangs and do that southbound, and then switch it over and do that northbound."

The area's cold, snowy winter has occasionally slowed construction progress, CDOT revealed.

"Really cold and below freezing, even working it causes issues and you don't want to get that frost in the ground," Pittman said. "So, they just stop work and come back when it's a little warmer. They worked for (only) four or five days in December and the rest was winter shutdown."

CDOT had no details at the time of this report, regarding winter shutdown days in January and February.

"We're working on it," he said.

Pittman added that repair crews are watching for potholes that have developed in the work zone.

"Not only because of the construction and the weather, but also because of the age of the streets around the intersection," he said. "It sometimes takes a little longer to fill potholes because the requests have to go from CDOT maintenance to the contractor working the project. But the contractor tries to respond within 48 hours."

After the girders are installed, crews will begin building the deck for the overpass.

Travel Impacts

According to the city of Colorado Springs, drivers can expect to see single and double lane closures as early as 7 p.m. on the affected nights; all closures will be removed from the highway in time for travelers' morning commutes. 

The city said that during the closures, only one direction of Powers Boulevard will be closed at a time:

• Thursday, Feb. 20: Southbound Powers Boulevard closed at East Platte Avenue from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m.
• Friday, Feb. 21: Northbound Powers Boulevard closed at Airport Road from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.
• Saturday, Feb 22: Southbound Powers Boulevard closed at East Platte Avenue from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m.
• Sunday, Feb. 23: Northbound Powers Boulevard closed at Airport Road from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.

The city said the schedule is subject to change based on weather conditions.

Detours

While uniformed traffic control officers and flaggers will be on scene to help direct overnight traffic, the city is also recommending detour routes for drivers looking to avoid the closures. 

Southbound Powers Boulevard detour: Traffic must exit the highway at East Platte Avenue. The detour route will direct traffic west on East Platte Avenue, south on Academy Boulevard and east on Airport Road. Note: Colorado Springs Airport (COS) suggests that traffic headed to the airport continue south on Academy Boulevard and east on East Fountain Boulevard.

Northbound Powers Boulevard detour: Traffic must turn left or right at Airport Road. The detour route will direct traffic east on Airport Road to the northbound Powers Boulevard on-ramp at Stewart Avenue.

Meanwhile, other aspects of the project are taking shape — such as the outline of Airport between Powers and Peterson, and the northbound exit ramp from Airport to Powers.

There's also what appears to be construction of a large retention pond that will hold excess stormwater runoff, improve drainage and prevent flooding.

The project's expected completion date is late 2026.