COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Drivers may have wondered why South Academy Boulevard, under the pair of newly-built overpasses on I-25, has been closed often during overnights this summer.
It’s because of what’s going on above the boulevard.
The new bridges are part of the Military Access, Mobility and Safety Improvement Project (MAMSIP) that the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) started two years ago.
It also placed new concrete pavement on 7.5 miles of I-25 between South Academy and Fountain.
One of the final steps of the overpass project is to apply a coating of polyester material to protect it from weather and traffic wear-and-tear; closing South Academy underneath protects traffic from anything that might fall off.
Recently, however, crews found that the material was too thick in one area — and that caused water to pool, which would present a hydroplaning or ice risk when normal traffic resumes.
So, workers have been slowly leveling off the excess material.