Update:
Portion of Foothills Trail in Garden of the Gods Park to remain closed through December
Challenges with installing underground infrastructure delay trail reopening
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – A section of Foothills Trail, between Blair Bridge and the Garden of the Gods Visitor and Nature Center underpass, will remain closed through the end of December to complete utility work, dam construction and reconstruction of the concrete trail paving that are part of a flood mitigation project underway in the northeastern portion of Garden of the Gods Park.
Due to unexpected challenges encountered in tunneling through thick underground rock, work to install a new underground sanitary sewer pipe is progressing much slower than expected. Therefore, reopening this portion of the Foothills Trail must be delayed until the pipe installation and other work is complete.
“The Foothills Trail is a valuable community asset and plays a key role in the overall Garden of the Gods Park experience, which is why we are installing portions of the pipe through an underground tunneling process to preserve a strip of native vegetation between 30th Street and the construction area. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts to complete the installation on schedule, this portion of the trail must remain closed until the end of December,” said Mike Chaves, senior civil engineer for the City of Colorado Springs.
Additional short closures of the trail may be required next spring to complete re-planting efforts along the trail.
August update
The Foothills Trail, between Blair Bridge and the Garden of the Gods Visitor and Nature Center underpass, will remain closed through Friday, Sept. 13.
The trail was originally scheduled to reopen Monday, but we are still working to install a pipe that is part of a flood mitigation project underway in the northeastern portion of Garden of the Gods Park.
A new sanitary sewer pipe is being installed through an underground boring process, and a new 20-foot deep manhole to connect the pipe is being constructed adjacent to Foothills Trail. The trail will reopen upon completion of the pipe installation. Additional temporary trail closures may be required throughout the project, which is expected to be complete by the end of the year.
July update
A section of Foothills Trail, between Blair Bridge and the Garden of the Gods Visitor and Nature Center underpass, will close temporarily from July 29-Aug. 26 due to necessary utility work that is part of a flood mitigation project underway in the northeastern portion of Garden of the Gods Park.
During the closure, a new sanitary sewer pipe will be installed through an underground boring process, and a new 20-foot deep manhole to connect the pipe will be constructed adjacent to Foothills Trail. The trail will reopen upon completion of the pipe installation. Additional temporary trail closures may be required throughout the project, which is expected to be complete by the end of the year.
There will not be a posted detour for this trail closure.
