LITTLETON, Colo. — Littleton's treasured network of trails for pedestrians and cyclists will see a big change next year.
Near the spot where the Lee Gulch and High Line Canal Trails meet, the path quickly goes from tranquil to traffic. Pedestrians and cyclists have to detour off the trail to cross South Broadway at Jamison Avenue, a busy intersection that also includes Littleton Adventist Hospital.
Starting this spring, Broadway will shift to only one lane of traffic in both directions in that area. Those lane shifts are expected to last about six months, according to the City of Littleton.
The city is working to replace a failing culvert underneath the street, part of a roughly $9 million project.
"In June of ’23, we had significant rain events and had a few sinkholes throughout the city," said Sarah White, water resources manager for the City of Littleton. "I haven't slept well since this first sinkhole started. So it's going to be pretty important to get this done."
The city also decided if it's going to dig a 30-foot trench below Broadway — and work around numerous electric, fiber, water and gas lines — it's going to add more than just a concrete pipe for safe water flow.
"To be able to get something that big through, it's kind of a once-in-a-lifetime experience," said White. "So [we're] taking the most of the opportunity."
The city now plans to build an underpass below Broadway to allow trail users to cruise through and bypass the busy intersection. The plan is to include lighting and make the underpass ADA-compliant.
"I would love to cross Broadway without crossing Broadway," said Cynthia Schallenmuller, who frequently rides her bike on the trail. "The struggle is the distracted drivers. People that are not aware of bicycles. So it's nice to know that there [will be] a place where I can ride, and I can get from this side of Broadway to the other side and I don't have to deal with the traffic."
White said Arapahoe County Open Spaces and South Suburban Parks and Recreation are contributing a total of roughly $3 million toward the project.
"Part of the project delays is just trying to figure out how to fund it all," she said, adding that the city is "almost there."
The city hopes work can start within the next month or so, but also said there will be two weeks of advanced notice given to drivers ahead of the lane closures.
The underpass and trail updates are expected to be ready in about a year, White said.
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