COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) РThe Parks and Recreation Department had hoped to complete an improvement project at popular North Cheyenne Ca̱on Park and reopen the main road before Memorial Day weekend, but rainy weather delayed this plan.

As a result, on one of its busiest days of the year, the road will remain closed on weekdays until June 18 (weather permitting), as city officials announced in a report. press release Friday afternoon.

The road has been closed since May 3 so workers can expand and pave a gravel parking lot above Helen Hunt Falls. The lot still needs to be striped to mark the individual parking spaces which will go from 75 to 92. Drainage improvements are also part of the work there.

According to the statement, the parking lot will be accessible from Wednesday, June 2, but only for hikers and cyclists via Lower Gold Camp Road. A rock that had blocked the road for several weeks was removed on Friday.

Many visitors use the road to reach Helen Hunt Falls and the parking lot that provides access to other trails. The road offers several places for vehicles to stop and enjoy scenic views, access to trails and picnic areas.

During the extended shutdown, workers will take the opportunity to complete other improvements in the park:

· Improvements to the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) at Helen Hunt Falls, including a new accessible plaza area between the building and the waterfall, a new accessible ramp, and the addition of accessible parking.

· Parking improvements at the Bruin Inn picnic area that will help formalize stationary parking, add booths and improve pedestrian cross-street traffic. There will be a connection with the Daniels Pass Trail here.

· The new Daniels Pass trailhead will be completed and will provide 12 designated parking spaces. Bridge abutments will also be installed in preparation for two new trail bridges on the Daniels Pass Trail, which are expected to be installed later this summer.

· The ADA accessible parking stall and access ramp to the washroom building in South Cañon will be repaired.

City officials thanked the public for their patience, calling the upgrades “the safest, most efficient, and cost-effective way to make these much-needed upgrades, and your park experience will benefit in the long run.”