The Moraine Park Campground won't be "full" for the next month, as it will be closed so crews can replace a water line/Kurt Repanshek file photo

Moraine Park Campground in Rocky Mountain National Park will be closed at noon on Tuesday, May 2, for a major water line system improvement project, and will reopen by Thursday, May 25. Aspenglen Campground, which normally opens in late May, will open early, beginning May 1, to provide camping opportunities on the east side of the park.

The water line project is part of a larger phased project to improve and rehabilitate park potable water supply and distribution systems that were installed more than 50 years ago. The first segment of buried pipe to be replaced during this phase is the section within the campground. The improvements will cover the water system from the Moraine Park Campground to the intersection of Bear Lake and Moraine Park Roads, where last year's water line project ended. This overall project will include replacing thousands of feet of pipe, rehabilitating valves, improving its condition to greatly enhance its service life, insure greater reliability, reduce water loss, enhance fire protection and reduce operational maintenance costs.

Park visitors may experience minor traffic delays from May through October on the Moraine Park Road between the intersection with Bear Lake Road and Moraine Park Campground entrance area, as well as the intersection with Fern Lake Road. Work will take place Monday through Friday, from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Traffic delays should be less than 15 minutes.