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UPDATE: Changes coming to 2 popular parks in Colorado Springs

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- (Monday, Feb. 8) -- Many drivers are surprised Monday to see that most of the popular North Cheyenne Cañon Road on the city's southwestern corner is closed.

As KRDO NewsChannel 13 reported Friday, the road -- from the lower entrance to just above Helen Hunt Falls -- will be closed weekdays through the end of March for a bypass project relating to a future bridge replacement.

A fairly steady stream of traffic turned around upon seeing the closed entrance gates, and some drivers lingered for minutes at the gate, expecting it to open automatically.

Access to the falls and the large parking area, as well as the park's trails, remain available from the narrow, unpaved stretch of Gold Camp Road behind the Upper Skyway neighborhood.

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The entrances to Garden of the Gods, North Cheyenne Cañon Park and Palmer Park are locked after hours for safety and security, and the same will happen starting last Friday night at Red Rock Canyon Open Space.

Kurt Schroeder, maintenance and operations manager for the city's Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services, said the move continues a trend of preventing damage and illegal or undesirable activity at city parks.

"But probably the biggest concern is fire," he said. "People huddle around for warmth or just to have a fire while they're enjoying each other's company in inappropriate ways, and that's what we're trying to curtail."

Schroeder said that there have been no recent incidents at Red Rock that created a sense of urgency to close and lock the entrance gates overnight.

Meanwhile, starting Monday, a more noticeable change will happen on around three miles of the steep, winding road through North Cheyenne Cañon.

Workers will start a $400,000 locally-funded project that will continue through next month, to build a bypass road beside a bridge just above Pull-Off 24. The road will be needed this fall when that bridge, and two others along the road, will be replaced.

"Those bridges are more than 100 years old and not built to modern standards," Schroeder said. "The one getting the bypass is beside and above part of Cheyenne Creek. All it is, is old railroad rails and decking on top of it. That's it."

The cost to replace the bridges is $4 million, financed by local and state funds.

"We need the bypass road so that emergency vehicles can get through during construction, and area residents can get through," Schroeder said. "There are 12 residences and 28 people who live up there year-round."

The three-mile stretch will be closed on weekdays starting Monday, from the lower entrance to above Helen Hunt Falls. However, Schroeder said that visitors may still access the falls from above, on Gold Camp Road.

The park's trails will remain open during the project.

Until the bridges are replaced, the city has lowered the weight limit from 20 tons to 4 tons.

"That's barely enough to hold a full-size pickup truck," Schroeder said.

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Scott Harrison

Scott is a reporter for KRDO. Learn more about Scott here.

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