State and Local Community Leaders Tout Benefits of Military Access, Mobility & Safety Improvement Project
News Release
COLORADO SPRINGS — The Colorado Department of Transportation joined with numerous state, county, city and military leaders today celebrating Colorado's $18.35 million federal BUILD grant award from the US Department of Transportation for the Military Access, Mobility & Safety Improvement Project (MAMSIP), kicking off the project’s construction in El Paso County.
“With a state economic impact of more than $30 billion dollars per year, our six Colorado military installations and defense industry rely on the transportation corridors that are also the backbone of our regional and state economies,” said Colorado Governor Jared Polis.
The MAMSIP project will deliver improvements to safety and mobility along I-25, CO 94, South Academy Blvd., and Charter Oak Ranch Rd., which in turn supports a network of military installations including Fort Carson, Peterson Air Force Base, Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station, and Schriever Air Force Base. The project will improve the safety of critical segments of the transportation network serving Colorado’s military facilities, improve connectivity, freight access, and the region’s economy.
“This project now underway will help maximize efficiency to and from military facilities and help ensure quick and safe transportation between military assets in Colorado Springs. I also believe this project further demonstrates Colorado’s infrastructure is best prepared for U.S. Space Command’s permanent headquarters,” said Senator Gardner. “We must continue to work together to make the strongest case possible for Colorado’s selection for the permanent headquarters.”
“National defense has been one of the critical priorities for our transportation infrastructure since the establishment of the interstate system, said CDOT Executive Director Shoshana Lew. “This projects was one of Governor Polis’s first initiatives as part of CDOT’s transportation planning process and has, from the start, reflected an incredible collaboration with stakeholders — including the Department of Defense, Colorado Transportation Commissioners, the Pikes Peak Area Council of Government, leadership in the City and County, our Congressional Delegation, the Pikes Peak Chamber of Commerce, Colorado 30, and so many others.”
PROJECT INFORMATION:
The Military Access, Mobility & Safety Improvement Project has four primary areas of focus within the Pikes Peak region, all of which are strategically important in the movement of personnel and equipment between nationally significant military facilities.
Combined cost of the four highway and road corridor project components is $159 million, funded through the BUILD Grant and contributions from CDOT, El Paso County, and the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority.
The four safety and efficiency project components include:
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Interstate-25 - bridge replacements on I-25, backbone of the region’s passenger, commercial, and military mobility.
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Colorado Highway 94 – addition of passing lanes, turn lanes, road widening and fiber, connecting Schriever Air Force Base with Peterson Air Force Base and central Colorado Springs.
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South Academy Boulevard – capacity upgrades and resiliency improvements to this major commuter arterial which also links Peterson and Schriever Air Force Bases with I-25 and Fort Carson.
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Charter Oak Ranch Road – road reconstruction generating improvements for the road entry point to Fort Carson’s Gate 19 from the I-25 Corridor.
Collectively, this work will significantly improve safety through reduction in crashes, injuries, and fatalities. Replacement of bridges which have exceeded their useful life, as well as work to minor bridges along the corridor, will reduce scheduled and unscheduled maintenance and repairs. Undertaking these improvements will effectively improve mobility and safety outcomes along one of the state’s busiest interstate corridors and the connected transportation system while concurrently ensuring economic vitality is maintained.
STAY CONNECTED
Website: https://www.codot.gov/
Email:[email protected]
Hotline: 719-800-2161
WHOLE SYSTEM. WHOLE SAFETY
The CDOT Whole System — Whole Safety initiative is designed to heighten safety awareness by taking a systematic statewide approach to safety combining the benefits of CDOT’s operations, programs addressing driving behaviors, and our built environment. The goal is to improve the safety of Colorado’s transportation network by reducing the rate and severity of crashes and improving the safety of all transportation modes. The program has one simple mission—to get everyone home safely.
ABOUT CDOT
CDOT has approximately 3,000 employees located throughout Colorado and manages more than 23,000 lane miles of highway and 3,429 bridges. CDOT also manages grant partnerships with a range of other agencies, including metropolitan planning organizations, local governments and airports. It also administers Bustang, the state-owned and operated interregional express service. Governor Polis has charged CDOT to further build on the state’s intermodal mobility options.
