Rocky Mountain National Park gathered park staff, elected officials, congressional staff, project contractors, the Rocky Mountain Conservancy, and other special guests to celebrate the completion of the Fall River Entrance Station construction project yesterday.
The construction project aimed to address aging infrastructure as a part of a larger effort across national parks. Funding for the project came through the National Park Service Line-Item Construction and Repair-Rehabilitation programs authorized by Congress to fund critical visitor service investments.
Three new entrance kiosks, a new office, an updated entrance sign, a dedicated transponder lane, road widening, and more were included in the project. Plus major improvements to the wastewater and water systems serving both the Fall River Entrance and the Bighorn Ranger Station were completed and a new on-site wastewater treatment system was installed. Additionally several water system components were modernized and the water treatment building received significant upgrades.
The completed project marks the fifth iteration of a Fall River entrance station. The previous Fall River Entrance Station was constructed in the 1960s and intended only for summer operations. The park saw just 1.5 million visitors annually when the previous station was constructed. Now those numbers reach above 4 million annually.