Road Construction In The Monument

Every highway needs repairing from time to time. Even those in National Parks and Monuments. A month-long road construction project is underway on Rim Rock Drive.

Colorado National Monument's Rim Rock Drive is one of the more beautiful drives in the west and one of my favorite getaways. The canyon views, the green junipers, and if you're lucky a big horn sheep spotting, make it inspiring each and every time.

However, this majestic stretch of road is getting some work done starting this week and continuing for about a month. The work is in a section south of the Grand View Overlook. Crews are repairing a bedrock culvert and the rock face below the roadway.

The Grand View Overlook pull off will be used to store equipment and will be closed to the public. The good news is that weekend traffic won't be affected. The road will be closed Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Travelers should expect about a 10-15 minute delay as flaggers move traffic through.

The small canyon below the construction site is also closed to hiking during the construction. The Monument Canyon Trail is open. However, the area between the trail and the road from the Kissing Couple rock formation to Independence Monument is closed.