DENVER – I hope you’re enjoying some nice riding in between these February snow storms, or better yet – have found time to get out and roll in the snow.
Some of you have reached out to Denver7’s On Two Wheels to ask about some bike path closures and I wanted to give you an update on some of those projects – and there’s some good news.
If you’ve ridden the South Platte River Trail, you’re used to the closure at Alameda where crews have been working to replace the bridge.
Recently, a new, longer detour popped up just south of Alameda starting at Johnson Habitat Park which will take riders several blocks down Jason Street to S. Huron.
I wanted to point this detour out because it takes you across an often very busy South Platte River Drive to reconnect to the trail. There’s very little lighting and the oncoming traffic does not stop.
Once this project is done, it should make this stretch of the South Platte River Trail safer, according to Denver Parks & Rec.
“We started construction on that Johnson Habitat Park to West Mississippi Ave section of the South Platte River Trail in January of this year. The work being done is to improve and upgrade the retaining wall to a standard of a 12 foot concrete wall,” said Stephanie Figueroa, marketing & communications with Denver Parks and Recreation (DPR).
Here's a look at this section from one of my rides last summer and then below you'll see the project rendition and the improvements.
Back in 2019, this stretch of the trail was closed “due to safety reasons” when the retaining wall failed. Along with widening the trail from 8 to 12 feet, project renditions also show the addition of 4’ crusher fines along each side of the trail.
You can check out before and after photos to see how the project will unfold. Here's a map of the full detour.
“This will hopefully not only be more space for all our trail users, but also a much safer experience,” added Figueroa. This will be a long term closure and you can expect the detour to remain in place through the busy summer riding months and into next year.
As one trail closes, another opens which should be good news for area cyclists.
I heard from one rider, Joe C., who wrote to On Two Wheels asking if we could find out when the eastbound C-470 trail near Santa Fe (US 85) would open.
This closure has been part of the overall US 85 project that’ll impact drivers once completed.
I’ve ridden past this closure so many times headed to Chatfield Reservoir and was curious about it. There’s finally some good news as this portion is expected to open in March.
I’ll let you know the exact date when I find out.
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When it opens next month, it’ll make riding near US 85 a little safer. Here’s what the US 85 project website says about the improvements.
“Multimodal improvements include bus stop enhancements, a new shared-use path for bicyclists and pedestrians on the east side of US 85, a below-grade crossing for the C-470 Trail at US 85, a below-grade crossing for the High Line Canal Trail at US 85, and a new pedestrian link from the Wolhurst community to the C-470 Trail.”
I asked Douglas County for some more details on what you can expect.
Here’s what is different on the eastbound C-470 trail:
“The underpass is completely new. The existing C-470 trail required pedestrians/cyclists to cross US 85 at the eastbound C-470 ramp signal. The new underpass will completely separate vehicle traffic and trail traffic, while providing access across US 85 and to the north and south on either side of US 85 via new sidewalks,” wrote Caroline Frizell, director, communications and public affairs for DougCo.
What can you expect to see on the High Line Canal Trail and below-grade crossing at US 85:
“The underpass is a major improvement on the 'tunnel' that existed before, connecting the east and west side of US 85. The new underpass will have a paved trail, added safety features and lighting throughout,” Frizell added.
There’s also a new, shared-use path for bicyclists/pedestrians on the east side of US 85:
“There will be a new trail (sidewalk) along the east side of US 85 from C-470 to Highlands Ranch Parkway, with connections at the intersection and local trails. Prior to the project, there was no pedestrian infrastructure (sidewalks) on either side of US 85 which resulted in many pedestrians and cyclists using the roadway to move along US 85. This is no longer the case as there will be a new sidewalk along the east side south of C-47 to Highlands Ranch Parkway, on the west side from C-470 to Blakeland Drive and over the C-470 bridge to the north, connecting to the Wolhurst Community and the transit stops at County Line Road.” wrote Frizell.
The final lighting and electrical checks were underway earlier this month.
While the bike and pedestrian paths are set to open in March, the overall US 85 project impacting drivers should be completed this year.
“We plan on using the warmer months of this year to finalize the roadway (called top mat paving, which is when we pave a layer of weather-proofing material over the new roadway) , install new signage, complete landscaping and painting. Our original expected completion was Oct 2025, although we anticipate finishing work earlier,” said Frizell.
Cyclists will ride and pedestrians will walk the trail completely separate from vehicles.
Back in December, I chatted with Douglas County District 1 Commissioner Abe Laydon about the project’s impact.
“I just want to thank the citizens of Douglas County and everyone that passes through this intersection for their patience. It's going to be fantastic,” said Laydon. “About 80,000 individuals actually pass through this intersection and use this corridor on a daily basis. So it's significant for us. Obviously, the ability to have mobility as we're continuing to grow as a county is deeply significant to us.”
He added this was the largest contract Douglas County has ever awarded.
“About $100 million from the county, the total project is about $108 million,” said Laydon.
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Douglas County has posted lots of resources, maps and US 85 Project updates, which you can check out at this link.
You can also sign up for alerts about the US 85 project from Douglas County at this link.
I hope that’s some good news as you check out more places in Colorado to discover on your bike.
If you have something in the cycling community you’d like Denver7’s On Two Wheels to check out – or someone who deserves a shoutout, email us at on2wheels@denver7.com.
Denver7's On Two Wheels aims to dive deeper into the unique hazards when biking in Denver and across Colorado, but to also share the good things and lift up the amazing people who take up cycling to get stronger and feel better about their mental health. You can watch our special report in the video player below.
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