Douglas County and CDOT are partnering on advancing the construction of the C-470 Trail & University Blvd. Pedestrian Grade Separation Project. The objective of the project is to construct a bridge to carry bicyclists and pedestrians that utilize the C-470 Trail over University Blvd (Colorado State Highway 177). The proposed bridge will replace the existing at-grade intersection configuration, which currently requires users to make four separate roadway crossings totaling eight (8) lanes of traffic, thus improving safety and user experience on this regional multi-modal trail.
In the summer of 2020, CDOT and the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) announced the Safer Main Streets Initiative which is a state and/or federal funding opportunity focusing on improving safety and multimodal transportation options. On March 19, 2021, Douglas County was notified by CDOT that the C-470 Trail & University Blvd. Pedestrian Grade Separation Project was selected to receive $5.12 Million in state funds, which will fund a portion of the project.
While preliminary design was advanced, Douglas County and CDOT staff negotiated specific project responsibilities which are included in an IGA that was approved by the Douglas County Board of County Commissioners in September 2022. The C-470 Trail is a CDOT asset and will continue to be owned, operated, and maintained by CDOT including the improvements to be constructed as part of this project. However, some project enhancements are being incorporated into the design above and beyond what is typically required by CDOT to reduce long term maintenance burden and increase the structure’s service life.
