Boulder County Advances 2 Trail Designs Despite $120 Million Funding Gap

1 articles · Updated · Boulder Daily Camera · Jun 24

Boulder County commissioners backed continued design work on two regional trail projects Tuesday, while deferring formal funding decisions until the fall budget process.
More than $120 million in additional money is now estimated to be needed to finish design and construction, even though 2022 transportation sales-tax revenue has already covered engineering, review and permitting work.
The 11-mile North Foothills Bikeway would add a separated route along U.S. 36 between Boulder and Lyons, where county officials say the corridor has the highest cyclist crash count in unincorporated Boulder County.
For 2027, staff requested $2.5 million for the bikeway and $1.6 million for the 8.5-mile Boulder-to-Erie Regional Trail, plus a $515,135 grant, to keep both projects on pace for 2029 construction.
Design work still faces coordination and environmental hurdles, including possible driveway impacts along U.S. 36, wildlife-crossing planning and raptor-habitat mitigation on the former rail corridor.