Trail News - Increasing Connectivity Niwot/Gunbarrel to Boulder

With all the road construction going on through the CO 119 corridor (CO 119 Safety and Mobility Project) and surrounding streets (the Boulder Cone Zones map) into 2027, harried local commuters may be gratified to learn that some on-going and near-term trail improvements are going to provide unprecedented off-road connectivity to central Boulder from the Niwot/Gunbarrel area for bikers and pedestrians.

The current construction that is continuing next to the Lobo trail south of Jay Road for the Fourmile Canyon Creek Bikeway Project is going to provide access under the railroad tracks at Four Mile Canyon Creek to allow bikers and pedestrians to cross under both the railway and CO 119 safely.

Originally slated to be complete by the end of 2024 the City of Boulder has expressed hope that it will be finished in early 2025.

Additionally, according to a recent news release by the City of Boulder, work is to begin on the Valmont Road Multi-Use Path Project beginning on or after Jan. 6, pending contractor availability and weather conditions. Work is to continue and will be coordinated with an unrelated Main Sewer Improvement Project to minimize impacts to traffic as the majority of work will be performed off the roadway. Construction and travel impacts can be followed on the Boulder Cone Zones map.

This project will connect the 61st Street path, south of Jay Road by building a cement path on the north side of Valmont Road with direct access to the underpass to the South Boulder Creek path. Users will then not have to enter any roadway before connecting to the downtown Boulder path system from the path at 61st Street.

The City of Boulder reported, "The 10-foot-wide concrete path will include a crosswalk on the east side of the Valmont Road and Butte Mill intersection to connect the path to on-street bike lanes on 63rd Street. The multi-use path will be built on or near the property of Boulder County, city open space north of Valmont Road, and the Regional Transit District (RTD)'s existing rail tracks."

Both the Valmont Road Multi-Use Path and the Four-mile Canyon Creek crossing are part of the Confluence Area Multi-Use Projects that recognized multi-modal needed connections between Gunbarrel and Boulder. The location of these projects, including the Valmont Multi-Use Path Project, are located at the junction of Boulder Creek and South Boulder Creek and Boulder Creek and Fourmile Canyon Creek. Projects include the Andrus Road to Airport-Road Multi-Use Path Project, Valmont Road Multi-Use Path Project and 61st St. Multi-Use Path Project.