For the next six to eight weeks, work will be underway on Garden of the Gods Road west and east of Interstate 25.

The west side of the project was scheduled to start on Monday and will make changes to the median to increase safety. The east side of the project, starting in November, will focus on traffic signal improvements, according to the city of Colorado Springs.

Drivers will see closures on Garden of the Gods east of I-25, adjacent to construction on the median from Chestnut Street to the interstate. During the day, the center lane might be closed, reducing the roadway to one lane of traffic in either direction. The city says drivers should expect short delays and changing conditions.

During construction, drivers will not be able to cross six lanes of traffic from north to south or vice versa. The project will also prevent left turns traveling east or westbound in the construction zone from the interstate to Chestnut Street. On Chestnut, there will be only one left turn lane open from westbound Garden of the Gods. The northbound I-25 exit ramp to westbound Garden of the Gods will be similarly reduced to one lane.

Businesses will be accessible only from right-in or right-out turns.

The new medians will prevent motorists from crossing all six lanes of traffic, a configuration the city says causes accidents. According to the city, 47 accidents occurred in the project area west of I-25 between 2015 and 2020, 16 of which resulted in injuries.

While drivers will be able to make left turns to enter most businesses from Garden of the Gods, they will not be able to turn left when leaving. Westbound drivers will be able to use two lanes to turn left onto Chestnut.

The project will cost about $1.96 million. It is funded by the Department of Transportation and the local taxpayer-funded Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority. More information can be found at the project’s website.