Rio Grande Trail nearly finished

Scott Condon
The Aspen Times
Aspen CO, Colorado
April 11, 2008

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CARBONDALE — Summer seems like a long way off right now since winter won’t budge, but at least cyclists and pedestrians can look forward to the completion of the Rio Grande Trail.

The missing link between Aspen and Glenwood Springs will be completed in June, according to Mike Hermes, director of trails and facilities for the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority. RFTA’s contractor, Aspen Earthmoving, already is working this spring on the final five-mile stretch to be completed.

That section is located between Carbondale and the turnoff to the Colorado Mountain College (CMC) Spring Valley campus, and includes the area along the Aspen Glen golf community.

Currently, the trail along the old railroad grade connects Aspen to Carbondale, although it is only paved between Woody Creek and Carbondale. On the other end, the stretch between the CMC turnoff and Glenwood Springs also is paved.

“I get calls all the time from people asking when the trail is going to be finished,” Hermes said.

“Staff is anticipating having the trail open around June 15 for the summer season,” he wrote in a memo to RFTA’s board of directors, which met Thursday in Carbondale.

RFTA’s completion of its portion of the trail between Emma and Glenwood Springs is two years ahead of schedule. The agency set a goal earlier this decade to complete the trail by 2010. Hermes said he doubted at the time that the goal could be achieved, since the cash-strapped agency only had about $200,000 budgeted annually for the project.

Federal and state grants along with voter approval for increased revenues for RFTA made significantly more funds available for trail work.

The last five-mile stretch will cost about $1.9 million to complete, Hermes said.

RFTA is planning a tentative grand opening for the trail July 19.

In other trail news, RFTA’s board of directors granted permission to the developer of a midvalley subdivision to connect a spur trail from the development to the Rio Grande.

Developer Ace Lane wants to build a suspension bridge over the Roaring Fork River approximately a half-mile east (upvalley) from Catherine Bridge. The pedestrian bridge would connect a trail system in Lane’s proposed subdivision to the Rio Grande Trail. The subdivision is on the north side of the river; the Rio Grande Trail is on the south side in that part of the valley. In return for permission to connect to the Rio Grande, the public would be allowed to use the subdivision trail. That will connect old Highway 82, which is now a frontage road, and the Rio Grande Trail.

Lane is seeking approval for the subdivision from Garfield County. He also will need the county’s blessing for the bridge.

scondon@aspentimes.com