Glenwood Springs City Council approves additional $250,000 in funding for 27th Street underpass project

Glenwood Springs City Council approved allocating $250,000 to build an additional sidewalk on the southwest corner of the 27th Street and Colorado Highway 82 intersection.

The intersection is the location of an underpass project, said City Engineer Terri Partch.

“We’re adding a little bit of sidewalk on the school district operations facility property,” Partch said.

That would bring the city’s funding share of the project to a total of $750,000.

The extra $250,000 would come from the city’s 2022 capital budget.

The total cost of the project is $10.1 million. The rest of the costs will be funded by the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority.

Construction is set to begin in the fall with phase one, which will involve constructing the east half of Colorado Highway 82 underpass and related improvements to the southeast corner.

The project will enhance pedestrian safety, which was scrutinized after Scott William Adams of Glenwood Springs was struck and killed crossing 27th Street by bicycle just before midnight on June 3, 2018.

“The project originally planned for sidewalks just on the north side of 27th Street,” Partch said. “This section of sidewalk would complete the sidewalk that goes to Berthod motors and provide additional access to the underpass facility.”

Partch said the goal is to take people completely out of the intersection and route them to the underpasses.

The motion to approve the funding was supported by Mayor Jonathan Godes and council members Paula Stepp, Ingrid Wussow and Tony Hershey.

Mayor Pro Tem Charlie Willman and council members Shelley Kaup and Steve Davis questioned if the cost could be split with RFTA instead.

Reporter Shannon Marvel can be reached at 605-350-8355 or smarvel@postindependent.com.