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The Town of Silverthorne was recently awarded a $200,000 Colorado State Parks grant for the Blue River Trail. The grant is administered by the Colorado State Trails Program and funded with Great Outdoors Colorado (lottery) state park funding. The grant will assist the town with this summer's construction of the fourth segment of the Blue River Trail.
“This is really great news for Silverthorne and all of our trail users,” said town manager Kevin Batchelder. “Over the years we've secured many grants for the Blue River Trail, but this grant is really a critical one as Segment 4 is the connection that links the east and west riverbank trails together,”
When completed this fall, the fourth segment will allow pedestrian and bicycle travel from the Dillon Reservoir, all the way north to Silverthorne Elementary School, without having to travel on or across any portion of Highway 9.
The segment will run from the cul-de-sac at the end of Mesa Drive, cross the Willow Grove Open Space, then cross the Blue River with a 215-foot clear span pedestrian bridge, and connect to Blue River Circle in the Blue River Run subdivision. Care was taken in the design process to minimize impacts on existing trees and vegetation along the river front. The bridge crossing the Blue River is a single span structure with no center supports to insure minimal impacts on the river environment. A small parking lot and public restrooms are also being constructed on the Willow Grove Open Space as a part of the trail project.
Construction has begun on this segment, and the $200,000 Colorado State Parks grant will provide 18 percent of the overall project cost of $1.1 million. An additional source of outside project funding is being provided by the South Maryland Creek Ranch development as part of its annexation agreement with the town. South Maryland Creek Ranch will be contributing $200,000 to the project, bringing total outside funding for Segment 4 to $400,000.
The Blue River Trail offers pedestrian, bicycle and wheelchair users a unique and beautiful perspective on Silverthorne as it winds along the river. The Blue River Trail Master Plan, created in 2004, outlines the overall plan for the trail and is available at www.silverthorne.org.
“This is really great news for Silverthorne and all of our trail users,” said town manager Kevin Batchelder. “Over the years we've secured many grants for the Blue River Trail, but this grant is really a critical one as Segment 4 is the connection that links the east and west riverbank trails together,”
When completed this fall, the fourth segment will allow pedestrian and bicycle travel from the Dillon Reservoir, all the way north to Silverthorne Elementary School, without having to travel on or across any portion of Highway 9.
The segment will run from the cul-de-sac at the end of Mesa Drive, cross the Willow Grove Open Space, then cross the Blue River with a 215-foot clear span pedestrian bridge, and connect to Blue River Circle in the Blue River Run subdivision. Care was taken in the design process to minimize impacts on existing trees and vegetation along the river front. The bridge crossing the Blue River is a single span structure with no center supports to insure minimal impacts on the river environment. A small parking lot and public restrooms are also being constructed on the Willow Grove Open Space as a part of the trail project.
Construction has begun on this segment, and the $200,000 Colorado State Parks grant will provide 18 percent of the overall project cost of $1.1 million. An additional source of outside project funding is being provided by the South Maryland Creek Ranch development as part of its annexation agreement with the town. South Maryland Creek Ranch will be contributing $200,000 to the project, bringing total outside funding for Segment 4 to $400,000.
The Blue River Trail offers pedestrian, bicycle and wheelchair users a unique and beautiful perspective on Silverthorne as it winds along the river. The Blue River Trail Master Plan, created in 2004, outlines the overall plan for the trail and is available at www.silverthorne.org.
