The $161M Military Access Project Is Finally Complete — Here Is What It Means for Colorado Springs Homeowners

If you drive along South Academy Boulevard, I-25 near Fort Carson, or Highway 94 out toward Schriever, you have probably noticed something different lately. After five years of construction cones and lane shifts, the Military Access, Mobility & Safety Improvement Project — known as MAMSIP — is officially complete.

This was not just another road project. It was a $161 million investment, five years in the making, that fundamentally changed how four of the five major military installations in the Pikes Peak region connect to the rest of Colorado Springs. And if you live near any of those bases, or if you commute through the corridors that serve them, this project affects your daily life and your home value more than you might realize.

What Actually Got Built

The MAMSIP project was a partnership between the Colorado Department of Transportation, El Paso County, and the four military installations it serves. It targeted four critical corridors:

• Interstate 25 near Fort Carson — additional lanes and improved access points to handle the tens of thousands of vehicles that move through this stretch daily.
• South Academy Boulevard — the final piece, completed this July, widening and upgrading a key artery connecting Peterson Space Force Base and Schriever Space Force Base to the rest of the city.
• Colorado Highway 94 — the main corridor serving Schriever Space Force Base, now upgraded for safer and more efficient travel.
• Charter Oak Ranch Road — improved connections near Fort Carson, making it easier for personnel and equipment to move in and out of the post.

For anyone who has ever sat in stop-and-go traffic on South Academy during peak hours, the improvement is real. The project was designed not just for military mobility, but for the civilian commuters, families, and businesses that use these roads every day.

What This Means for Home Values Near the Bases

Here is something we have learned in 24 years of real estate in Colorado Springs: infrastructure improvements are one of the most reliable drivers of long-term home value growth. When a major road corridor gets safer, faster, and more efficient, the neighborhoods it serves become more desirable. And desirability translates directly into demand.

For homeowners in areas near Fort Carson — think Security, Widefield, Fountain, and the southwestern parts of the city — the improvements to I-25 and Charter Oak Ranch Road mean shorter and more predictable commutes. That matters to buyers. When we talk to military families relocating to the area, one of the first questions they ask is how long it takes to get on base. A faster commute makes a neighborhood more attractive, and that shows up in what buyers are willing to pay.

The same is true on the eastern side of town. With South Academy and Highway 94 both upgraded, neighborhoods near Peterson and Schriever Space Force Bases just became more convenient. For homeowners in areas like the southeastern part of the city, this is a positive signal — the kind of infrastructure investment that supports home values over the long term.

What This Means for Military Families

If you are active duty and have received PCS orders to Colorado Springs, here is the honest picture: getting on and off your installation just got easier. Whether you are stationed at Fort Carson, Peterson, Schriever, or Cheyenne Mountain, the roads that connect those bases to the rest of the city have been significantly improved.

That means more neighborhoods are realistically within commuting range than they were a few years ago. Areas that might have felt too far because of slow traffic are now more accessible. If you are looking at homes and wondering whether a certain commute will work, the answer is probably yes more often than it used to be.

We work with military families every week, and we know that timeline and predictability matter more than almost anything else. A road project like this does not just help the military — it helps everyone in El Paso County function a little better.

The Bigger Picture

The MAMSIP project is part of a broader trend in Colorado Springs. Between the 2C road improvement program (125 lane miles resurfaced this year alone), the new Airport Road and Powers Boulevard interchange, and the 8th Street corridor project on the southwest side, the city is investing heavily in its infrastructure. That is a strong signal about the long-term health of the market.

For buyers, better infrastructure means more neighborhoods to consider and more confidence in long-term value. For sellers, it gives you a real story to tell about why your area is becoming more desirable. For anyone living near one of these corridors, it means less time in the car and more time at home.

If you have questions about how any of these projects affect a specific neighborhood, or if you are thinking about buying or selling near one of the bases, we would love to talk it through. No pressure, just the honest picture.