Snowmass Town Council wants to enter the Castle Creek Bridge discussion

Snowmass Village Town Council members are discussing ways to signal support for a Castle Creek Bridge replacement as the Aspen City Council weighs its potential replacement options.

Aspen Director of Transportation and Parking Pete Rice and Senior Project Manager Jenn Ooton updated Snowmass council members about the ongoing Castle Creek Bridge discussions during a Snowmass Town Council meeting on Monday. During the meeting, council members discussed drafting a resolution of support for the Preferred Alternative option for the bridge — an option that would reroute Highway 82 through the Marolt Open Space in Aspen.

“I would like to produce a resolution of support for the record of decision and the Preferred Alternative, so that Snowmass Village can help promote the idea of moving this process along,” said Mayor Bill Madsen.

Each council member generally showed support for the Preferred Alternative, but the town council decided to wait to draft a resolution before hearing more information about the options for the Castle Creek Bridge.

The bridge, which is property of the Colorado Department of Transportation, is over 60 years old. It has degraded over its lifespan as CDOT and Aspen have discussed how to effectively replace the bridge after its predicted usable life. A 1998 federal approval developed the Preferred Alternative plan, realigning the highway.

Most Aspen City Council members have not supported the Preferred Alternative — they instead support reconstructing the bridge in its current location. In a Monday work session, City Council members decided not to pursue a ballot issue this November regarding the bridge.

But Snowmass Town Council members seemed to support the Preferred Alternative and noted that the decision could impact people from their community who commute to Aspen.

“It is the people downvalley that are going to be the most impacted by this, and for Aspen to listen to those voices is good and appropriate,” said Council member Susan Marolt.

While she said she liked the Preferred Alternative, especially because the plan as proposed still protects a great deal of the Marolt Open Space, she wanted to wait to vote on a formal resolution supporting it before getting more information on the alternatives.

Council members were concerned that waiting too long to make a decision on the bridge might be catastrophic. If the bridge fails before Aspen makes a decision on how to proceed with the replacement, CDOT will implement the Preferred Alternative.

“I think it’s hard; no one wants to lose open space, but also the other (plans) have drawbacks, too,” said Snowmass Council member Alyssa Shenk. “I’m inclined to go with the alternative as it was proposed, but I think they’re asking the right questions. I just think two or three years of doing another study or whatever they have to do, that’s a lot more time, and I don’t know much about bridges, but I hope it lasts that long because if it doesn’t, then we have a real problem.”