Beginning Monday, motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians will have a safer way to get around southeast Colorado Springs.

The Circle Drive eastbound bridge will open at 9 a.m. to traffic, more easily connecting the area to Interstate 25 and the rest of the city.

The bridge is part of a major southeast artery spanning hundreds of feet of Circle Drive between Janitell and Monterey roads, just east of Interstate 25.

According to the Deputy Director of Public Works Gayle Sturdivant, more than 30,000 vehicles cross the Circle Drive bridges each day, making it a very crucial connection point. However, they were built in the 1960s, bringing them near the end of their service life.

“It’s a type of construction that has reached a critical point so we go in and do replacement so that we don’t have failure in the future,” Sturdivant said. “Our bridges are safe, but we want to make sure we’re proactively replacing those in advance so we don’t have major problems.”

The project began in fall of 2023. Not only do the Circle Drive bridges connect the southeast part of town to the rest of the city, they provide Harrison High School students a safer way to get to and from school.

The reopening is welcome, but construction is not yet over. Traffic will shift to the new eastbound bridge Monday morning, while demolition and construction work will begin on the westbound bridge. Traffic on the westbound bridge will be diverted to the old eastbound bridge so the old westbound side can be demolished.

“We’re about halfway through the project,” Sturdivant said.

According to the city, drivers can expect mild traffic impacts outside and inside of the bridge access points while traffic shifts to new lanes, but none on the bridge itself.

The light at the end of the tunnel is all bridge construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2025. According to the city, the work in 2026 will focus on cleanup and improvements on Hancock Expressway below the bridges.

Resident impact on the bridge construction can be found here.