Aurora will receive nearly $5 million from Great Outdoors Colorado and Adams County Open Space, according to an email from city officials, to create 12 miles worth of trail connecting the existing Sand Creek Regional Greenway with the Aurora Reservoir and Arapahoe County Fairgrounds.

A formal presentation of the grant will be held at a press conference on Tuesday.

City officials say the Triple Creek project will encourage healthy lifestyles and provide better opportunities for Aurora’s residents to access trails.

According to city documents, the proposed enhancements include the completion of the final two-mile stretch of trail along Sand Creek and make connections to the High Line Canal Trail at the Star K Ranch and again just south of Colfax Avenue. The Triple Creek Greenway Corridor continues southeast from the junction of Sand Creek and Coal Creek, around an existing sand and gravel operation, and through agricultural properties until it crosses under E-470. From there, the greenway and trail will travel through a number of planned residential neighborhoods before heading south along Senac Creek. Eventually, the trail will connect to the Arapahoe County Fairgrounds and Regional Park, Reservoir Community Park, various open space parcels and natural areas owned by Aurora, and finally terminate at the Aurora Reservoir, which is adjacent to 26,000 acres of relatively natural prairie grassland owned by the State Land Board. About 16,000 people currently live within one mile of the Triple Creek Greenway Corridor with an additional 17,000 homes projected within planned residential areas such as the Waterstone and Parklands Developments within coming years, according to the documents.

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