The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
More roundabouts in your future!
By Mark Reaman
With the announcement last week of a huge $15 million federal Safe Streets For All (SS4A) grant award to Gunnison County, the Highway 135 drive between Crested Butte South and Crested Butte will be very different within a few years.
Most of the money will be used to construct three roundabouts in the North Valley: one at the Cement Creek intersection, one at Brush Creek that includes a $2.3 million pedestrian underpass for the proposed Whetstone workforce housing project, and the third at Red Lady Avenue and Sixth Street by the Crested Butte Community School. The idea is that the roundabouts will result in better traffic flows to accommodate more traffic while being safer for all modes of transportation and reducing crash rates.
U.S. Senator Michael Bennet made the announcement of the grant award while in Gunnison last week. The $15,265,600 award that comes through the U.S. Department of Transportation was the full request made by Gunnison County with significant support and assistance of the other local government entities. It is part of the bipartisan infrastructure law passed by Congress.
“Senator Bennet shared the news when he arrived in Gunnison County last Wednesday and the excitement of this announcement has continued to reverberate from Gunnison to CB,” commented Gunnison County commissioner Jonathan Houck. “SS4A funding will not only address pressing road safety issues but wrap in pedestrian and transit improvements as well. The demands and increased volume of traffic from commuting as well as increased visitation will continue but these much-needed funds will help make noticeable differences in the corridor.”
Crested Butte mayor Ian Billick said the highway has gotten more dangerous as the population and visitor numbers rise. He noted that anyone driving into town when school starts at about 8:30 a.m. understands the mess that has developed at the southern entrance to town. Similar traffic challenges are increasing at all the major intersections along Highway 135.
“This award, with roundabouts at the entrance to Town, Brush Creek and Cement Creek, is transformative for our community. With single lane roads and essentially no alternative routes for most destinations, this funding will allow us to make the most of our roads,” said Billick.
“In terms of Whetstone housing, following North Valley comprehensive planning and tap fees, it resolves the last key element the Town had identified with the county, addressing safety and traffic flow issues at the Brush Creek intersection. More broadly, with the roadwork in Town and construction at the school, this last week we’ve seen how important it is to manage traffic into town.”
Safety first
“The actions funded by the grant are specifically tied to the identified safety needs of the roadways,” said assistant county manager for public works Martin Schmidt. “By implementing these recommended treatments, the safety of the corridor will increase. We are excited and honored to be receiving about half of the SS4A Colorado grant funds. Federal grant applications typically see tens of thousands of applications and only hundreds of awardees, and in this round we are one of only 70 communities nationwide to receive implementation funds.”
The grant will pay for the majority of the projects, but the local governments still have to come up with about $4 million. “Engineers’ estimates are just that, estimates,” said Schmidt. “The County’s engineering team estimates the total project cost for the Brush Creek intersection to be $11 million. We will be pursuing additional funding sources from local, state and national sources, but this grant allows the County to have clear conversations about delivering on community needs.”
The Cement Creek intersection improvement is still in the design and engineering phase, Schmidt relayed, “but we are working with multiple parties to deliver on intersection improvements at Cement Creek. Currently the budget is estimated to be similar to the Red Lady intersection.”
The roundabout near the CB Community School was estimated to cost $2.8 million. According to Crested Butte Community Development director Troy Russ, the SS4A grant awarded the community $2,224,800 for that project. “The Town and school district are required to contribute a local match of $556,200, or 20%,” he explained. “If costs go up in final design, the Town and school district will be responsible for the additional funding requirements. The federal funds will not go toward the design fees which are estimated at $300,000. That will be split evenly between the school and Town.”
“The district is thrilled with the award and so grateful to the Town’s team for all the work they put into the application—absolutely amazing,” said Gunnison Watershed School District superintendent Leslie Nichols.
Russ said it will likely take between 12 and 14 months to design the Red Lady roundabout and construction should begin in May of 2026. It is anticipated to take between a year and a year-and-a-half for construction.
Some people have said constructing passing lanes along Highway 135 is an important safety addition. Schmidt said that “is not a part of this grant request because it was not identified as one of the major safety needs for the corridor by the Action Plan consultant. The majority of accidents in the corridor occur at intersections or due to cars leaving the travel lane and hitting objects along the roadway.”
“The Town’s grant writing consultants pulled together the application on behalf of Gunnison County with strong support from Troy Russ and Martin Schmidt,” Crested Butte town manager Dara MacDonald informed the council in an email last Thursday. “There was strong participation in the planning from the City of Gunnison, all the various law enforcement agencies and CB Fire Protection District. With this great collaboration the community is able to see remarkable funding assistance from the current federal investment in infrastructure.”
“Gunnison County and the towns have been reliable partners in putting grant dollars to work and the impacts this substantial award represents will be transformational,” added Houck.
According to the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), the traffic counts on Highway 135 have doubled in the last 30 years and now come close to 6,000 vehicles a day with more during the busiest summer tourism season. July of 2024 recorded almost 8,000 vehicles a day. Traffic accidents have resulted in three fatalities between 2018 and 2022.
The grant also provides funding for improvements to the Main Street and Tomichi Avenue intersection in Gunnison, rumble strips and various other roadway improvements throughout the corridor. It is expected that the cost of all the projects will be approximately $19,082,000.
When will construction start?
As for the timing of all the construction, that is still up in the air. “We are pleased and excited to have the opportunity to implement these safety improvements, but do not have strict schedules in place at this time, mostly due to the fact that until last week, there were not enough funds to cover the projects,” explained Schmidt. “Currently the Brush Creek roundabout is the priority deliverable for the county, but several projects should be able to be constructed simultaneously. The county has committed to the town that the underpass will be operational by the time the first residents of Whetstone move in in early 2027 and the roundabout construction will begin in 2027.”
Russ also said it hasn’t yet been determined how construction along the highway will be managed or when it might start. “We have not gotten together with the county or CDOT since the award was announced,” he said. “I am assuming we will try to get Red Lady, Brush Creek and Whetstone done simultaneously. That said, Brush Creek is significantly further along in its design, 50%, while the Red Lady intersection design is only conceptual. The Town will be issuing a design RFP in the next month.”
For those living south of CB, it might be a good time to get an e-bike and start thinking Deli Trail to avoid what will certainly not be “a little” construction!