State and local community leaders celebrate Military Access, Mobility & Safety Improvement Project
News Release
Groundbreaking event signifies construction now underway
El Paso County — The Colorado Department of Transportation alongside area stakeholders, elected officials, project partners and members of the community gathered today celebrating the groundbreaking of the Military Access, Mobility & Safety Improvement Project (MAMSIP) and signifying the beginning of construction. This portion of the MAMSIP project will deliver improvements to safety and mobility along Interstate-25, South Academy Boulevard and Charter Oak Ranch Road, which in turn supports a network of military installations including Fort Carson and Cheyenne Mountain Station.
“A safe and efficient road system is critical to our national defense. The MAMSIP projects are anticipated to save lives and avoid injuries, improving both important stretches of I-25 as well as multiple important access points to Colorado’s military installations. We are proud to join with our partners, stakeholders and the community to bring these safety improvement projects to the Pikes Peak region.”
The MAMSIP 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. The project team has completed Phase 1 (passing lanes/ITS fiber) on CO 94 and is now focusing on the following:
-
Improvements to a seven-and-a-half-mile segment of the corridor beginning at South Academy Boulevard and extending to the Santa Fe Avenue exit at Fountain;
-
Widen a section of South Academy Boulevard to three lanes to alleviate recurring congestion;
-
Improving Charter Oak Ranch Road and its intersection with Santa Fe Avenue, and
-
CO 94 Phase 2 Blaney Road Intersection Improvements.
The travelling public can expect to see construction activities in these areas this summer.
“These improvements will not only help our military facilities, they will help with moving citizens around our community. They will also help our economy, moving $360 billion worth of freight every year around Colorado Springs and to destinations to the north and south along I-25,” said Mayor John Suthers. “We applaud the collaborative approach CDOT has taken, partnering with the city, county, military, other officials, local organizations, and with our residents and businesses.”
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:
-
Interstate-25 - bridge replacements on I-25, backbone of the region’s passenger, commercial, and military mobility.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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: 719-800-2162
CDOT’s Whole System-Whole Safety program has one simple mission — to get everyone home safely. Our approximately 3,000 employees work tirelessly to reduce the rate and severity of crashes and improve the safety of all modes of transportation. The department manages more than 23,000 lane miles of highway, more than 3,000 bridges and 35 mountain passes. CDOT also manages grant partnerships with a range of agencies, including metropolitan planning organizations, local governments and airports. It also operates Bustang, the state-owned interregional express bus service. Gov. Jared Polis has charged CDOT to further build on the state’s intermodal mobility options.
