Silverthorne is working toward major projects aimed at improving its transportation infrastructure and outdoor spaces.

The two projects are occurring in the west end of Silverthorne, and the town plans to group them together to allow both to operate on similar timelines. One project will expand Trent Park on Willowbrook Road while the other will extend Adams Avenue to an affordable housing project. Construction is slated to begin in spring 2024 and is anticipated to last a couple of years.

The Adams Avenue extension was described as a critical part of the town’s transportation plan since it will allow for an off-highway connection between the Willowbrook Neighborhood and the Smith Ranch Neighborhood. 

“The Adams Avenue extension is making that connection over to Willowbrook and is the last piece of an off-highway connection on the west side of town. All the way through town, you do not have to get on the highway,” assistant town manager Mark Leidal explained.

The extension will also allow the Smith Ranch Neighborhood to have vehicular and pedestrian access to Trent Park. The extension was a project identified in the town’s transportation master plan. 

In order to complete the extension, the town had to acquire three necessary pieces of land near Adams Avenue from Xcel Energy/Westgas ($94,837), Shirley Co. ($43,568) and the Willowbrook Neighborhood Homeowners Association ($2,943).

The overall price for the Adams Avenue extension is still unknown. This January, the town will put up a request for proposal bid for the projects and should have a better idea of the overall cost by then.

Trent Park’s expansion will happen simultaneously and is considered an adjacent project to the Adams Avenue extension. 

“The park improvement is exciting. We are expanding the park and have two grants associated with that. We are doing a few things such as building new restroom facilities, a basketball court — a variety of things — including a pump track,” Leidal said. 

This project is anticipated to cost around $3.5 million. Silverthorne applied for and received $600,000 grant from the Greater Outdoors Colorado, which is specifically aimed at supporting outdoor recreation. Additionally, the town secured a $1.2 million grant from The Land and Water Conservation Fund. 

Leidal anticipates that both projects could take a couple of summers to knock out. This could take a bit longer, he noted, considering the town plans to build a bridge across Willow Creek in conjunction with the Trent Park expansion project.