COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — The north gate at Peterson Space Force Base has reopened, offering some relief to businesses in the Space Village area that struggled through months of construction and the gate's closure.
The gate's closure, along with the ongoing construction of the Peterson Road and Highway 24 interchange, created a difficult stretch for nearby businesses that rely heavily on foot traffic from the base.
Reese Sattler owns Rocky Bowl Bistro in Space Village, a fusion restaurant that draws many of its customers from the base. He said coping with the north gate's closure required a day-by-day approach.
"This was an unexpected closure," said Sattler. "Everyone always talks about, wow a restaurant is really tough to do. And it is,… the hard part is what people don't mention, the constructions the closures."
The impact showed up in his bottom line, but when the gate reopened, Sattler said the change was immediate.
"We had to market to new geographical areas," said Sattler. "When the gate reopened, the change was immediate. We were getting customers we hadn't seen before."
According to a Colorado Springs city traffic engineer and a spokesperson for Space Base Delta 1, the gate's closure required an all-hands-on-deck effort. The north gate and adjacent interchange projects were separate from one another.
The city said it changed its construction phasing to lessen the impact on traffic, but did not impact the project's timeline.
While more pavement and curbs have been laid, two lanes remain closed along Peterson Road, and the turn into the Space Village center remains closed off.
Zeroed In Games, a game shop that opened three weeks ago, is experiencing its first stretch of business with the gate open. Owner and combat veteran Brandon Cabalar said the reopening made a quick difference.
"We're the furthest east game shop in Colorado Springs," said Cabalar. "We had people on base come here and say, 'wow, I didn't know there was a game shop here.'"
I asked some people on base if the gate's reopening would change traffic, and they said it's really a wait-and-see situation.
The city says construction should wrap up in the new year.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
___
___
Arson investigation continues over grass fire near elementary school
Fire danger is top of mind all year long in Colorado. A recent grass fire burned about an acre of park area behind Explorer Elementary School in Colorado Springs.
____
Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching.
