Sustainability Spotlight - April 2022 - Jefferson County Open Space Trails Partnership Program Grant Awarded to Wheat Ridge for Improvements to Clear Creek Trail and Bicycle Wayfinding Signage

As the weather warms up, pedestrians, cyclists, rollerbladers and skateboarders are becoming more numerous on Wheat Ridge’s parks and trails. Users of these facilities will experience an improvement to trails and wayfinding signage thanks to a grant recently won by the City of Wheat Ridge (CoWR). The Jeffco Open Space (JCOS) Trails Partnership Program is a grant program that provides supplemental funding to assist partners in implementing their priority trail projects within Jefferson County.

The CoWR applied for and won the Trails Partnership Program grant from JCOS in February of 2022. The two organizations will work together to plan and implement more than $200,000 of improvements with work slated to be completed by February 2024, specifically

  • Replacing the 1,187 foot-long, currently asphalt trail section between Prospect Park and the West Bridge (south of Tabor Lake) with 10’-wide concrete

  • Replacing damaged concrete segments and improve the trailhead connection at the Otis St. trailhead and connection trail

  • Adding Wheat Ridge Greenbelt, Peaks to Plains (P2P), and Jefferson County Bikeway wayfinding and mileage signage, general safety signage, and other trail safety improvements.

The ultimate vision of planners is the development of the Peaks to Plains Trail, which through 65 miles of dedicated paved trail will connect downtown Denver to Loveland Pass, with Wheat Ridge situated at the core.

Cycling is not only a means of transportation, but can be great for your health. The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center highlights that it is a low impact activity and easy on your joints, builds muscle, relieves stress and can help you maintain a healthy weight. Many medical studies have shown that regular physical activity reduces anxiety and depression. You don’t have to wear spandex and spend thousands of dollars on equipment to reap these benefits. Commuters will enjoy the plethora of bike lanes within Wheat Ridge that connect to surrounding communities such as Pierce St or 32nd Ave. Hobbyists and those less comfortable with traffic will enjoy the dedicated paved trails, the crown jewel of which is the Clear Creek Trail. The trail hugs Clear Creek (all road crossings are via safe underpasses) as it connects Golden to Adams and Denver County trails via a well maintained, continuous paved trail. In between, trail users can find spurs for downtown Wheat Ridge, Olde Town Arvada, Midtown, Edgewater or the Tennyson business district. Link up with the RTD G-Line to expand your no car transportation options even further!

For more information and maps of these trails, visit www.bicyclecolorado.org/ride-colorado/bike-maps-resources/

https://www.rtd-denver.com/services/rail/rail-system-map



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