Pitkin County agrees to contribute $200,000 to Roaring Fork Safe Passages study 

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to reflect that this was the board’s second and final reading.

The Board of Pitkin County Commissioners voted on Wednesday to approve up to $200,000 in match funding for a Roaring Fork Safe Passages study to begin this fall.

The feasibility study will determine open engineering questions like what wildlife crossing structures are needed, what the cost breakdowns are, what the permitting requirements are and what construction timelines would look like, according to Roaring Fork Safe Passages Director Cecily DeAngelo. 

“This study is the bridge between ‘here’s a good idea’ and ‘here’s exactly how we build it,'”  DeAngelo told The Aspen Times.

Roaring Fork Safe Passages did a study in 2023 that identified two Highway 82 locations where wildlife crossings could reduce collisions with the biggest impact: near the Brush Creek Park and Ride and the Airport-Aspen Village Corridor. 

Its data suggests that 55% of the crashes in those areas are wildlife-vehicle collisions. 

“Highway 82 is one of the most dangerous corridors in Colorado for wildlife-vehicle collisions,” DeAngelo said. “These aren’t fender-benders — they’re high-speed impacts that total vehicles and injure people.”

The Pitkin County commissioners have gone back and forth on what they want to contribute, at one point suggesting it be lessened before raising it back to the $200,000 that was agreed upon on Wednesday. 

But despite raising the amount back to the original ask, not all commissioners were fully on board. 

“I still have concerns,” Commissioner Patti Clapper said on Wednesday. “I’m still not comfortable using funds from Open Space and Trails … I am concerned about the use of money for a feasibility study for a bridge over a state highway and if that is within our voter language to allow for the use of those monies that way.”

Pitkin County Open Space and Trails staff attempted to address the concern about the permissibility of the use of these funds in a supporting document to Wednesday’s discussion. 

In the document, Open Space and Trails staff pointed out that the home rule charter that dictates Open Space and Trails fund usage allows funds for projects that “protect the natural biodiversity” of the area, including by protecting wildlife corridors — which the Roaring Fork Safe Passages is aiming to address with the wildlife crossings. 

“Pitkin County has invested millions in habitat conservation, but those investments are undermined when Highway 82 claims significant wildlife annually and isolates elk herds on either side of the highway,” DeAngelo said. “Habitat protection and wildlife connectivity work together.”

Clapper voted against the measure, Commissioner Woodruff abstained and Commissioners Jacober, Poschman, and Mahon voted to approve the measure. 

Clapper noted that, despite her concerns, she appreciated that the board was moving the funding forward. She added that she was also happy there would be a clause that makes the fund “match” clear, where Roaring Fork Safe Passages will not receive the full $200,000 until after the organization had raised $200,000. 

According to DeAngelo, that money has already been secured. 

“This wasn’t just about raising money; it was about showing that our community is ready to invest in wildlife crossing infrastructure,” she said. “The county’s $200,000 commitment is matched dollar-for-dollar with funds already in hand, giving us the full $400,000 we need to move forward with the feasibility study.”

Engineering work is expected to proceed for the study through early 2027.