Construction Crews At Work On Rim Rock Drive

Colorado National Monument's Rim Rock Drive is getting some much-needed repairs.

The project got underway earlier this week. The rock walls along Rim Rock Drive were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps back in the 1930s. That federal program was part of FDR's "New Deal" that provided jobs to young men during the Great Depression.  Since their construction, the walls have received little attention.

"We're chipping out the old mortar that was put in decades ago. All those rocks were quarried here, in the park, and hand-shaped by the Civilian Conservation Corps. So the uniqueness of how these rocks were constructed and placed here, we don't want to lose that and retain it for as long as possible," so says Scott Banjac, Masonry Work Project Leader for the Colorado National Monument.

The construction project is excepted to last about two weeks. Rim Rock Drive is down to just one lane along the stretch near Balance Rock. Once that's completed the crew will move to a stretch near the Redlands Overlook.

Summer is the Monument's busiest time of the year. If you're planning an outing with visiting friends or family, plan on traffic backups and delays in the construction zones.

Credit: KKCO11News