AURORA | Work will begin Monday on a new access point to the High Line Canal Trail in the form of an 8-foot-wide multiuse path meant to close the gap in improvements between I-70 and north of Colfax Avenue.
Pedestrian bridges over the canal south of Smith Road and over I-70 east of the Tower Road interchange will be included in the revamped two-mile segment of trail, which roughly follows Tower Road. A safer railroad crossing north of Smith Road is also being planned to protect pedestrians and bicyclists.
The work is scheduled to last through Spring 2024. Construction is being led by the City of Aurora in collaboration with Littleton-based American Civil Constructors.
“Designed with community input, the new trail will provide close-to-home, accessible recreation opportunities within the community and serve a diverse population that may otherwise have limited opportunities to access natural areas,” the city wrote in a news release.
Starting Jan. 30, crews are scheduled to work from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday until the project is completed. Work will begin on the bridge abutment south of I-70 and at the project’s south end, where vehicle and pedestrian traffic will be impacted intermittently for the first two months. Information about traffic impacts will be posted at AuroraGov.org/HLCT.
The $8.5 million project is being funded in part by a grant from the Denver Regional Council of Governments, matched through Aurora’s Capital Projects Fund and Park Development Fund. Additional funding comes from the Conservation Trust Fund, Adams County Open Space Grant, and the Adams County Open Space Tax Shareback.
The 71-mile High Line Canal Trail extends from the Waterton Canyon trailhead, southwest of metro Denver, past the cities of Highlands Ranch, Centennial, Littleton, Greenwood Village, Cherry Hills Village, Denver and Aurora, and terminates near E-470.
It takes an immense amount of community commitment to produce the plans, right-of ways, and funding for even the smallest project, and yet, Colorado continues to deliver these kind of impressive projects. Colorado’s vast network of parks and trails is exceptional and deserves our vigilant protection and careful stewardship. Anytime you see vandalism, litter, “urban camping,” after-hours use, or other forms of degradation on public parks or trails please report it immediately.
Great project, thank you. Will provide a lot more trail access to Aurorans, and appreciably help our quality of life and health for all of us from families to older adults. Hope does not allow motorized vehicles and that construction is careful to preserve all wildlife.