Transformative grants awarded statewide increase safety and accessibility of Colorado’s thriving and vibrant main streets
DENVER - The Polis Administration and the Colorado Department of Transportation’s Revitalizing Main Streets Program announced the second round of grant awardees for the Larger Safety Infrastructure grant opportunity, with grants awarded to 31 transportation projects across the state. Grants were awarded for transportation infrastructure projects that will improve safety and accessibility of streets and street spaces across the state.
“Colorado’s vibrant main streets are bustling with activity and fun, and we are thrilled to continue our work supporting small businesses, saving Coloradans money, and improving the safety and convenience of main streets across Colorado with these important state investments,” said Gov. Polis.
The grants support infrastructure projects that achieve the goals to: deliver practical, simple projects that help stimulate the economy and provide immediate business and employment opportunities in the construction industry; support a transportation system that safely accommodates all modes of travel; improve transit access and bike and pedestrian safety and mobility; support the development of connected urban/employment centers and multimodal corridors;reduce fatal and serious injury crashes on the transportation systems; provide safe access to opportunity and mobility for residents of all ages, incomes and abilities, including vulnerable users; and help communities adjust to the “new normal” travel patterns caused by COVID-19.
“CDOT is incredibly grateful for the high level of support that has made it possible for the continuation and expansion of this innovative program,” said CDOT Executive Director Shoshana Lew. “We are thrilled to be able to award double the number of projects this time around. The creativity and passion put into these terrific projects will improve transportation for all modes of travel along main streets across Colorado.”
The 31 selected projects are as follows:
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City of Alamosa | $1,214,699
Project: Hunt Avenue Cultural Trail Streetscape Project
The Hunt Avenue Cultural Trail is a multimodal street redesign project that seeks to transform three blocks of Hunt Avenue between Third and Sixth streets into a safe, attractive, and interactive pedestrian corridor. Hunt Avenue is one of three cross-streets in Alamosa’s Pedestrian Activation Area plan. In addition to improving safety and activating an underutilized space, The Hunt Avenue Cultural Trail project will also serve as a regional venue for art and cultural events, connecting major downtown destinations including the Rio Grande Railroad, the San Luis Valley Museum, the Public Library and Municipal Building, Cole Park, and the Rio Grande multi-use trail.
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Town of Basalt| $500,000
Project: Midland Avenue Streetscape Revitalization
The proposed project area will revitalize the Midland Avenue main street corridor extending from Two Rivers Road north and east to East Homestead Drive. This quarter mile street segment is the heart and soul of the community and is Basalt’s main historic corridor, transporting people from Highway 82 to downtown Basalt and up the Frying Pan River canyon to Ruedi Reservoir and to a bounty of public lands. The goal of this project is to maximize pedestrian space, improve public gathering space, and enhance the vibrancy of this critical economic and cultural center of Basalt.
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City of Boulder | $1,120,000
Project: Colorado Avenue Multimodal Enhancements
The Colorado Avenue Multimodal Enhancement Project will improve safety for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers by connecting a 'missing link' between two key intersection and underpass projects already underway between 28th Street and 30th Street. These are two of the city’s top locations for serious crashes as identified in the Safe Streets Boulder Report. The project concept was designed with extensive community engagement during the 30th and Colorado Corridors Study. It will advance Boulder’s Transportation Master Plan goals of creating a safe, equitable, and reliable system that provides more travel choices to people, and supports the city’s commitment to addressing climate change through greenhouse gas reduction.
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Cañon City | $1,000,000
Project: Cañon City Bump Out Main Street Completion
This project will deconstruct failing infrastructure on Main Street blocks and replace them with bump outs that increase pedestrian space and accessibility with gradient entries and defined crossing areas, increasing user accessibility and making the space more equitable for all.
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Commerce City | $1,420,800
Project: 68th Avenue Multimodal Safety Improvements
The project will improve safety, multimodal connections, and community access to education and recreational opportunities by adding widened sidewalks on both sides of the roadway, new crosswalks, intersection bulb outs (curb extensions), Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFB), reconstructed ADA-compliant curb ramps, lane restriping, new street lighting, and drainage improvements. The project will improve the safety and comfort of pedestrians and bicyclists on the project corridor, namely students and families who walk and bike to Alsup Elementary School on the north side of 68th. In addition, the improvements would enhance first and last mile connectivity for those walking and bicycling to-and-from the Commerce City & 72nd Avenue Light Rail Station.
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City of Creede | $1,138,000
Project: Main Street Revitalization and ADA Compliance Project
The City of Creede’s Main Street Revitalization and ADA Compliance Project will improve pedestrian and bicycle safety, accessibility, and connectivity in the downtown commercial corridor of Creede, from the northern end of the Mineral County Complex to the intersection of Main Street and Seventh Street (Colorado Highway 149) in the South Improvements include new and upgraded sidewalks, curb and gutter replacements to improve drainage and reduce winter icing hazards, ADA-compliant colored concrete crosswalks with high-visibility markings, and advanced yield signs at critical locations along the Main Street corridor.
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City of Dacono | $800,000
Project: Forest Avenue Street Improvements
This project implements roadway improvements to Forest Avenue, which will transform a gravel road into a paved two-lane roadway with a bike lane and enhanced sidewalks, allowing multimodal access to several recreation facilities including nearby Centennial Field, a BMX facility, and a baseball field.
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Town of Eaton | $1,150,000
Project: Eaton Downtown Streetscape
The project is a building-to-building reconstruction of pedestrian, cyclist, and automobile space in the downtown business core of the Town of Eaton. The project will increase accessibility and safe movement for pedestrians, cyclists, and automobiles on the Town’s downtown while creating spaces to encourage community gathering. The project also connects downtown businesses to the Town Square, an underutilized park that provides ample outdoor green space for community gathering. Sidewalks will be widened to 10 feet to accommodate outdoor service areas for businesses. Lastly, pedestrian bump outs will be added to all intersections to promote traffic calming and pedestrian safety.
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City of Englewood | $315,515
Project: South Broadway HAWK Signal
This project includes construction of a High-Intensity Activated Crosswalk (HAWK) Beacon at the existing midblock crossing on South Broadway. This crossing is located in the heart of Englewood’s downtown area, connecting public parking, transit stops, and bicycle racks to public “paseos” and local businesses on either side of South Broadway. Downtown business owners and customers report vehicles routinely not stopping for pedestrians, close calls, and collisions. Safety improvements for the project include crosswalk improvements and bollard lights at both ends of the crosswalk.
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City of Evans | $971,500
Project: Evans Ditch Trail (37th Street Corridor)
The Evans Ditch Trail Project will construct a 5,000 linear foot section of concrete/non-motorized trail along the Evans Ditch, creating bicycle friendly infrastructure near the 37th Street corridor through the heart of the community where there is currently limited access to non-motorized facilities. This section of trail will provide multimodal access to a grocery store, Centennial Elementary School, Union Colony School, and the Evans Community Complex.
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City of Fruita| $1,736,000
Project: Mesa Street Multimodal Improvements
This project will allow for a transportation corridor in downtown Fruita that safely accommodates all modes of travel by creating a safe, slow-speed road for pedestrians, bikes, and vehicles. This connection from Mesa Street to the west towards the grocery store also provides an important link for people who live or work downtown.
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Town of Georgetown| $842,110
Project: Georgetown Gateway- Argentine Street North
Argentine Street is the major arterial through the Town of Georgetown but currently lacks sidewalks. This project, extending 3600 ft. from the roundabout at the I-70 interchange to the Lake Recreation Area, will construct a 2-ft swale, 3-ft buffer with streetlights, and 5-ft ADA sidewalk on the east side of the street. A 2-ft swale, 5-ft buffer, and 10-ft concrete bikeway will be constructed on the west side.
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City of Glenwood Springs| $1,167,000
Project: The 6th Street Corridor Safety Improvements Project
The historic 6th Street Corridor will be revitalized after changes set in motion by the Grand Avenue Bridge Replacement. The current five-lane width of 6th Street with narrow pedestrian facilities between Laurel and Pine is unwelcoming to pedestrians and bicyclists. This project will convert the street into a two-way complete street with two, 10-ft wide travel lanes, 8-ft wide parallel parking lanes, 9-ft wide walkways, 5-ft wide tree and landscaping areas, and an 8-ft wide, two-way separated bike lane. These improvements will reduce the rate of backing accidents by narrowing the vehicular roadway platform leading to more cautious driving speeds, as well as reconfiguring the diagonal parking to parallel parking, allowing drivers better sight distance while parking and backing.
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City of Grand Junction| $1,000,000
Project: Crosby Avenue Multimodal Improvements
This important connection, as an alternative to the I-70B Expressway, will provide multimodal improvements such as bike lanes, detached path, and street lighting between the Downtown, Riverside and El Poso Neighborhoods, the Rimrock Business District and the new high density residential area under construction at the Railyard at Rimrock. The piping of the raised irrigation ditch (much of which is abandoned) will significantly improve vehicular sight distance at the intersection of Gunnison and Crosby Avenue.
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Town of Hayden| $1,000,000
Project: US Highway 40 Pedestrian and Multimodal Safety Project
US 40 serves both as the primary highway corridor through northwest Colorado and as the Town of Hayden’s Main Street. Unfortunately, without adequate multimodal infrastructure through the Town of Hayden, it leaves vulnerable users with few safe options to access the downtown core. This project builds bike lanes and ADA compliant sidewalks to provide safe access for all users. In addition to calming vehicular traffic by narrowing the vehicle lanes, this project will promote active transportation by removing parking and dedicating space for 5’ bike lanes, and 6’ sidewalks in each direction.
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Town of Hudson| $1,608,800
Project: Hudson Main Street Improvements
Along with enhancing safety improvements, this project provides connected and continuous multimodal (pedestrian and bicycle) transportation options for residents where they do not currently exist, incorporating a new sidewalk/multi-use path, center turn lane, and raised median. The proposed project, in tandem with other CDOT pedestrian safety enhancements on the west side of I-76 continuing over the interstate bridge, is vital to full connectivity within the Town of Hudson.
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Town of La Veta | $769,600
Project: Main Street Revitalization
The project will revitalize two blocks of Main Street in the Town of La Veta. The project focuses on pedestrian and bicycle safety, ADA accessibility, mobility and connectivity to and within the downtown commercial corridor. Specifically, the project incorporates installation of bulb-outs at three different intersections with associated crosswalks, ADA compliant pedestrian ramps, creates and delineates parking and associated ADA spaces, bike racks, benches, signage and in-street signage. The purpose of the project is to make the downtown area safer to access, safer to cross Main Street (Colorado Highway 12), and to slow down the traffic flow.
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City of Lakewood| $424,000
Project: 40 West ArtLine/ W Line Bike Path Lighting and Safety Project
The 40 West ArtLine Bike Path Lighting and Safety Project would significantly improve safety and usability of a dark, unlit area in the heart of the state-certified Creative District and near a light rail transit stop. This area is experiencing significant growth and mixed-use, transit-oriented development. The City of Lakewood has measured a 130% increase in pedestrians and a 325% increase in bicyclists in the area, and the proposed path lighting and crossing would be a significant improvement to safety and connectivity for multimodal users and help us grow usage even more.
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Town of Limon| $600,000
Project: Limon Main Street Improvements
This project will allow safe pedestrian and bicycle travel and crossings of the Town’s Main Street corridor, improving pedestrian access and connectivity for the 1,500 residents that live within half of a mile of Limon’s business district. This project starts on 1st Avenue at Limon Town Hall and ends at Limon Airport
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Mesa County| $1,080,000
Project: Orchard Avenue Safety and Connectivity Project
This project will drastically improve the condition of Orchard Avenue, a significant multimodal corridor for the region, by providing major enhancements enabling residents to more safely walk, bike, and take transit. The current corridor is a narrow, two-lane roadway with gravel shoulders and a detached concrete path on the north side of the roadway. Grand Valley Transit's route 3 travels along the corridor and transports citizens from the neighborhoods to Grand Valley Transit's main hub in Downtown Grand Junction. Orchard Avenue has the unique potential to become a long distance and lower stress multimodal corridor compared to the high‐volume arterials running parallel, North Avenue and Patterson Road. The project will provide safe multimodal connections between a string of parks, commercial areas, schools (elementary, middle and high school), and Colorado Mesa University.
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Town of Minturn| $1,402,000
Project: Main Street Pedestrian Improvements
Minturn will construct pedestrian, bicycle, and drainage improvements from South Minturn to the Boneyard Open Space Park (MP 146.13 to MP 146.5). The proposed project along US Highway 24 will connect residential and commercial properties with the park and open space within the town, and will also provide connections to transit stops and school bus stops along the highway.
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Town of Norwood| $448,480
Project: School Sidewalk Safety
The goal of the Norwood School Sidewalk Safety project is for students and families to choose walking and biking as a safe, convenient, accessible, and healthy option for getting to and from school and activities in the area. Improvements include approximately 2,200 linear feet of new or replaced sidewalk with curb and gutter and twelve ADA curb ramps including four bulb-outs at primary crossings. Three concrete crosswalks will be installed and marked across existing gravel roads Summit Street and Spruce Street. Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFB) will enhance pedestrian crosswalks with push-button activated flashing yellow lights.
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Town of Nucla| $1,100,000
Project: Nucla Main Street Improvement and Beautification
This project will improve traffic and pedestrian safety on Nucla’s Main Street (Colorado Highway 97). Improvements such as wider sidewalks, ADA ramps, crosswalks, bike lanes and bulb outs will be implemented to foster a sense of community and to define safer pedestrian and bicycle corridors. The project will also implement streetscaping elements including lighting upgrades, street furniture, and landscape planters to create a more inviting and accessible space for all.
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City of Ouray| $800,000
Project: Main Street Revitalization- Safety & Usability Improvements
This project will improve and prioritize pedestrian safety along the City of Ouray’s Main Street (US Highway 550) through traffic calming, streetscaping, and storm and drainage improvements. Currently, Ouray’s Main Street suffers from dangerous cross slopes and poor drainage that leads to significant ice damming and build-up in the winter. In addition to addressing the dangerous conditions through grade adjustments, this project also includes intersection bump-outs, crosswalks, Rapid Flashing Beacons (RFBs), and streetscaping enhancements to encourage safer active transportation along this busy Main Street.
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Town of Palisade| $1,100,000
Project: Connecting our Community Project
This project will connect downtown Palisade with multimodal improvements that will serve citizens, tourists, pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists who will all utilize Elberta Avenue from the I-70 interchange to across the Highline Canal with two new bridges over said canal. By improving the current mismatch of sidewalks and incorporating bike lanes, all users will enjoy a safer, more functional corridor connecting the heart of Palisade to Exit 42.
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Town of Paonia| $792,961
Project: Safe Pathways for Paonia
The project will connect Paonia's schools and parks, create a safe route for children and adults, and construct a welcoming and safe gateway to the Downtown Business District.The project will reconstruct the intersection at 5th Street and Grand Avenue from 4th Street to approximately 200 feet north of the 5th Street intersection on Grand Avenue to create a T-intersection. Sidewalks, curbs, gutters, and ADA curb ramps will be installed on 5th Street and Grand Avenue where they are missing. Bicycle lanes and crosswalks will be painted and signage will indicate safe pathways. Rectangular rapid action beacon (RRAB) pedestrian signals will be installed on the crosswalks on Grand Avenue.
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City of Rifle| $1,800,000
Project: Rifle Gateway Pedestrian Safety Improvements
Currently a maze of intersecting roads with little to no pedestrian safe crossings, the Rifle Gateway intersection of Centennial Parkway/US Highway 6 and Whiteriver Avenue, serves as the primary entrance to Rifle’s downtown center. The project will reduce crashes, improve traffic flow, and enhance bike and pedestrian safety at the gateway to Rifle’s downtown.
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Town of Silver Plume| $482,500
Project: Main Street Sidewalk Replacement
The project focuses on pedestrian and bicycle safety, ADA accessibility, mobility and connectivity to and within the beginning area of the downtown commercial corridor. The sidewalks will be replaced on both the north and south sides of the street and will terminate with ADA ramps. Additionally, a new handrail will be installed on the south side of the sidewalk adjacent to Clear Creek. The purpose of the project is to make the downtown area safer to access, safer to cross Main Street, and to slow down the traffic flow.
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City of Trinidad| $1,800,000
Project: Multi-use Path Along Santa Fe Trail
This project will construct a multi-use trail along Santa Fe Trail within the existing right-of-way extending from Exit 11 to the south to Saddle Road to the north, a total distance of 1.15 miles. This project will also provide a pedestrian and bicycle multi-use trail connection between the improved Exit 11 interchange (currently under construction) and the existing neighborhoods at Saddle Road. This project will provide a multi-use connection providing safe access and mobility for residents of all ages, incomes, and ability, including vulnerable users.
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Town of Walden| $488,800
Project: Fifth Street Sidewalk
We all can walk, but we all can't walk along the Fifth Street sidewalks which are in poor condition. Were they in good condition, they would provide far better pedestrian access to the Town Hall, the Fire Department, the largest two churches in town, the Thrift Store, North Park School District facilities, the town's sledding hill, Main Street, and several residential areas off Fifth Street. We want to replace 1,936 linear feet of 80-year-old sidewalks, install 1,936 feet of curbs and gutters, install ADA compliant ramps at all street and alley intersections, and add a drain pan to correct a drainage problem on Fifth Street.
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Town of Wellington| $1,800,000
Project: Building a Safer Wellington Main Street
This project creates improvements to crosswalks, ramps, and sidewalks along Cleveland Avenue/CO 1, Wellington's main street, between First and Fifth Streets. The project will implement a series of safety measures and traffic calming designs, including several actions to reduce drive speed and awareness of people using the crosswalks. These enhancements will provide benefits for vulnerable users, school children, pedestrians, bicyclists, and improve the overall accessibility in downtown by implementing ADA compliant ramps at all intersections.
Communities are encouraged to apply for additional grants up to $150,000 through the Small Multimodal and Economic Resiliency (known as Grant Opportunity 2) projects available on a rolling basis. For more information, visit the Revitalizing Main Streets page.