North Cheyenne Canyon Road reopens the afternoon of Friday, July 18, City of Colorado Springs officials announced today, restoring public access to North Cheyenne Cañon, one of the region’s most popular recreation areas.
On June 4, a significant amount of rain caused the roadway to wash out an entire lane about 1.5 miles up the Cañon from the Starsmore Visitor and Nature Center. After the waters receded, work began immediately to repair nearby infrastructure that contributed to the washout, along with engineering and construction to build a retaining structure that protects the roadway from future damage. On July 7, crews began rebuilding the roadway and will finish in time for the upcoming weekend.
“We are grateful to the public for their patience and understanding as we completed this repair,” said Gayle Sturdivant, City Engineer and Public Works Deputy Director. “While this full closure meant restricted access to the Cañon, it allowed our crews the opportunity to finish the repair in a safe manner.”
Regional Parks Manager Scott Abbott echoed Sturdivant’s sentiments. “We are grateful to our partners in Public Works and Colorado Springs Utilities for their hard work, expertise and swift completion of this project,” he said. “We also want to extend our thanks to park users for their patience, cooperation and alterations to their recreational activities during the road closures.”
The project has a few items left to complete, including a permanent guardrail. This means that intermittent lane closures could still occur in the coming weeks. As always, roadway users are urged to use caution when travelling through the Cañon due to the narrow roadway, steep grade and sharp curves.
For more information on North Cheyenne Cañon, visit coloradosprings.gov/NCC.