Slate River bridge to ease pedestrian commutes to town

Project will keep bikes off of Hwy. 135

The Gunnison County Trails Commission hopes the commute to Crested Butte from the communities south of town will be a lot safer after a pedestrian bridge over the Slate River is completed this fall.

The bridge will link the existing Skyland trail system on the south side of the Slate River to “a dirt trail that will travel through Riverbend Homeowners Association open space to Riverbend Road,” according to the project plan developed by the Trails Commission.
“Riverbend and Skyland Homeowners wanted to tie ‘their’ trails together—the New Deli trail and Skyland trail system—so Frank Alfone and Greg Wiggins, approached the Gunnison County Trails Commission to move it forward,” says Trails Commission board member Joellen Fonken.
The result is a system that “is to be a non-motorized, completely detached trail route that will create a ‘safe route to schools for kids,’ a long-awaited commuter connection getting bicyclists and pedestrians off Highway 135 to Brush Creek Road, and a new recreation opportunity for neighbors and visitors,” according to the plan.
Currently, anyone commuting to town from the south has to travel on Highway 135 to cross the Slate River, says Fonken. After the bridge is completed, all non-motorized traffic will be able to use the recreation paths and trails, which will run from Mt. Crested Butte to Brush Creek Road.
So far the commission has all but $10,000 of the projected $78,346 it needs to fund construction of the bridge. The project will require the county’s department of public works to install the bridge, the Skyland Community Association to build and pave the trail to the south side of the bridge, and the granting of an easement by the Riverbend Homeowner’s Association for the connection to Brush Creek Road that is 2,380 feet long and 10 feet wide.
According to the construction plans for the path, the full width of the easement will be used and made six inches deep with 20 percent compaction for the riding surface.
“We haven’t gone public with the plan until now. We have worked successfully through the granting processes with Gunnison County Land Preservation and the Gunnison County Metropolitan Recreation District and the reception has been very positive and fruitful,” says Fonken.
The commission sought the additional funding for the bridge through grants from the Gunnison County Land Preservation Board and the Met. Rec. District, which contributed $30,000 and $10,000, respectively. Various other groups have committed resources and neighboring community groups will be asked to make donations to make up the remaining $10,000, says Fonken.