Garden of the Gods to close roads for new water line that will help fight fire danger this summer

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - If you're headed to Garden of the Gods Thursday or Friday, you will need to enter from somewhere other than Gateway Road or the front entrance because of construction efforts.

The two-day closure of Gateway heading into the park, Garden Drive, Juniper Way Loop, and certain trails is the last "public disturbance" in a long waterline project.

The project, spurred by a need for more bathrooms in the tourist destination, is now intended to help supply 8 new fire hydrants in the case of a fire. They also replaced the sidewalk that runs through the central part of the park to make it ADA compliant.

"We're always concerned about fire danger," Anna Cordova, Garden of the Gods Parks manager said. "I think the whole city should always be aware of that when they go to the park... We have an overgrowth of vegetation, and with any warm, dry conditions, we're always on alert. So we ask that people be responsible and don't smoke in the park and don't do anything that could cause a spark."

The project cost three million dollars, the cost of which was split evenly between the city and Colorado Springs Utilities.

"This project is important for us because we provide water services not only to homes and businesses, but also for fire hydrants, fire suppression efforts," Alex Trefry, a spokesperson for Colorado Springs Utilities, said.

The waterline will also supply more pressure to surrounding neighborhoods.

"It's adding redundancy," Trefry said. "If we ever need to shut the water main off for repairs or anything like that, it makes it to where less people are affected by a water outage during those repairs or something like that."

The waterline project is set to be completed in May. Trefry says they are ahead of schedule.