Historic bridge over Monument Creek in Colorado Springs closes Monday, to reopen this fall

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- The 90-year-old bridge over Monument Creek, between Monument Valley Park and the Colorado College campus, will undergo nearly $6 million in renovations.

Preparations began two weeks ago on the bridge; it will close on Monday and not reopen until sometime in the fall, according to a city release.

Work will include replacing the bridge deck, widening sidewalks, improving drainage, and adding lighting.

Officials also want to preserve and restore the bridge's original Art Deco features.

On Thursday, a crew was working under the bridge with heavy equipment, and a detour around a nearby segment of the Pikes Peak Greenway trail along the creek is already established.

The bridge is at the north end of the park, between Mesa Road and Glen Avenue; it provides access to a parking lot and a popular pickleball court.

Cyclists and pedestrians frequently travel across the bridge to admire the downtown skyline, the creek, the occasional passing of trains, and to visit the gardens at the Horticultural Art Society.

Once the bridge closes, Glen Avenue, which connects to Uinah Street several blocks north, will be the only access to the parking lot.

A temporary complication this week, however, is that the avenue is closed during the day for repaving.

Drivers should expect limited street parking because some spaces are closed during construction.

The next-nearest creek crossing is at Uintah Street.

Tax revenue from the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority is financing the repair work.

Workers built the bridge in 1936, a year after a flood destroyed the original bridge.