Colorado Springs drivers will have to wait an extra week to utilize the new Cimarron Bridge.

The bridge was previously set to open May 15, but the bridge deck concrete does not yet meet strength requirements, forcing the opening back to May 22.

The new opening date also honors downtown business requests for the bridge to be open by the Memorial Day weekend, when the summer tourism season begins.

“We’ve been shooting for the May 15th date on behalf of the community since the bridge’s closure so to miss that, even by just a few days, is very frustrating,” said Public Works Director Ron Mitchell.

“We set a very aggressive schedule for this project and when we lost some time this winter due to bad weather, it put us right up against our opening date. With the deck taking longer than we’d hoped to reach required strength, we have to postpone to ensure we have a quality product capable of serving our community for a long time. This is a 50-year investment. Another week is inconvenient, but reasonable.”

When the bridge does open, it will consist of three lanes, which will be designed to maximize traffic flow. During morning rush hours, the bridge will feature two eastbound lanes into downtown and one westbound lane. During evening rush hours two lanes will head westbound and one lane eastbound.

Work will continue on additional traffic lanes, bike lanes and sidewalks through August 2008.