Construction Update
April 21: Lanes opening on Fountain Creek bridge
The 8th Street improvements project will reach a milestone on Tuesday night, April 21, when two lanes open in each direction over the Fountain Creek bridge. Work to shift traffic will begin at 7 p.m., with all four lanes fully open by 5 a.m. Wednesday, April 22.
Motorists can expect:
- The center lanes across the bridge will reopen and the bridge’s right southbound lane will be closed.
- Four lanes of traffic—two in each direction—will shift to the east to let crews complete work on the bridge’s west side.
- The right turn from northbound 8th Street to the US Highway 24 frontage road remains open.
Motorists may encounter occasional right lane closures in either direction of 8th Street near the bridge over the next several weeks while crews finish curb, sidewalk and aesthetic work.
South of the bridge, work to replace the 24-inch water main under 8th Street is now in full swing. Crews are presently boring under 8th Street, with lane closures from Abbot Lane to south of Motor City Drive. These closures include no left turns between 8th Street and Motor City Drive. In the coming weeks, the center lane closure will extend further south from Motor City Drive to let crews assemble sections of the new water main as it goes into the bore. Specific details about that work will be shared closer to that time.
During the left turn closures at Motor City Drive, the following detours are in place:
- Traffic turning left from southbound 8th Street to Motor City drive turns left on Automotive Drive, then left or right at Motor World Drive to Motor City Drive.
- Motor City Drive traffic accesses southbound 8th Street via Automotive Drive to 8th Street.
Access to local businesses remains open and clearly marked at all times. Motorists are asked to slow down and use caution around work zones.
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Background
The project will address infrastructure and mobility needs on 8th Street between Fountain Creek to Motor City Drive. More than 30,000 vehicles use this road daily. It serves as an important link to businesses and neighborhoods southwest of Interstate 25 and U.S. Highway 24.
This PPRTA-funded project was approved by voters in 2012. Initial design work showed that, in addition to road improvements, the corridor needed other significant infrastructure upgrades. Needs included drainage improvements, safer multimodal access, increased capacity on the bridge carrying traffic across Fountain Creek, and a new water main under the roadway.
Project Area
Key Elements
- Widening of the 8th Street bridge over Fountain Creek. This includes the addition of a northbound lane with attached sidewalk/trail for improved access to Highway 24 and the Midland Trail.
- Drainage improvements from Bear Creek to Moreno Avenue.
- Addition of sidewalks and curb and gutter on 8th Street from Fountain Creek to Lower Gold Camp Road.
- Asphalt overlay of 8th Street from Motor City Drive to Highway 24.
- Traffic signal improvements on 8th Street at Lower Gold Camp Road and Moreno Avenue.
- Replacement of a 24-inch water main under 8th Street, from Vermijo Avenue to Motor City Drive.
Public Engagement
Open House May 7, 2025
The City held an open house on May 7, 2025, at Norris Penrose Event Center. All materials were made available digitally and can be viewed below.
Station Boards
Please use the links below to navigate to each station’s boards.
Engage with Us!
If you still have questions about the project, you may contact the project hotline (719-377-3089) or email 8thStConstruction@gmail.com. We’re happy to help you!
Photos
Week of December 22, 2025
A crane positions a 64-foot-long steel I-beam girder at the 8th Street bridge over Fountain Creek on Dec. 17. Crews placed three girders that will support a new northbound traffic lane and multiuse sidewalk/trail across the creek.
Week of November 17, 2025
An aerial view shows ongoing construction on the 8th Street bridge over Fountain Creek. Just downstream, a smaller temporary bridge allows crews and equipment to safely cross the creek.
Wing walls under construction on the east side of the 8th Street bridge over Fountain Creek highlight the expanded width of the bridge, where a new northbound lane will be added.
Week of Oct. 21, 2025
An auger slides into a steel sleeve while drilling a new bridge foundation pier on Oct. 8, 2025. The sleeve seals the drill shaft, preventing groundwater and other material from getting into the shaft while crews drill into the bedrock, set rebar in the hole, and pour the concrete to ensure a solid foundation.
Dirt flies from an auger during cleaning after drilling bridge foundation piers Oct. 8, 2025.
Week of Sept. 15, 2025
The project team received a delivery of 17 tons of rebar last week for new bridge foundation piers on the 8th Street bridge. Work on the foundation piers begins Sept. 22.
The heavy rains of late August made it nearly impossible for crews to work safely in and around Fountain Creek.