The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Commuter bikes, anyone?
By Katherine Nettles
Some major roadway changes may be happening simultaneously at the north end of the valley in 2026, with two roundabouts and one pedestrian underpass scheduled to begin construction on Highway 135 next spring and summer.
As Gunnison County continues construction of its 251-unit Whetstone Community Housing project, the plan is to construct a pedestrian underpass for Highway 135 and to upgrade the Brush Creek Road intersection with a roundabout to accommodate the additional traffic expected. Additionally, the town of Crested Butte and the Gunnison Watershed School District (GWSD) are constructing a roundabout at Highway 135 and Red Lady Avenue to accommodate the Crested Butte Community School facility expansion.
The roundabout projects and underpass are all being funded in part by a $15 million federal Safe Streets for All grant awarded to Gunnison County last fall.
Martin Schmidt, Gunnison County assistant county manager for public works, confirmed last month that plans for the Brush Creek roundabout are complete to 60%. “We submitted to the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) in August,” he said of the preliminary design work. “We are hoping for a CDOT approval before winter.”
Local matches will be needed to supplement the project, but since costs have not been finalized nor a contractor chosen, the exact amount of the local match is still to be determined. “We are still working on developing a final budget,” said Schmidt.
The county’s engineering consultant, Mead and Hunt, has done or contracted for all the technical work on the project. The current cost estimate is in draft form and awaiting CDOT input to create a pre-bid probable cost, said Schmidt. The county has also secured state funds and expects to use some of its own capital budget.
After getting some design input from CDOT, the next steps will be potential redesign and approval by CDOT and procurement for construction and construction management. “The target schedule for the Brush Creek roundabout is to begin in spring 2026,” said county communications director Patty Schmitz.
Schmidt said that the county is not planning for a park and ride near the Brush Creek site, but the land for a future project is labeled as “future trailhead parking constructed by others.”
The pedestrian underpass cost has been estimated at $2.3 million and will be part of the grant funding. Schmitz confirmed the underpass should be going in simultaneously with the Brush Creek roundabout.
The Red Lady roundabout design has been finalized by the town and GWSD, who have entered into an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) to split the design and engineering costs. That is expected to be approximately $300,000 total. The two entities have to submit a new access permit to CDOT for the intersection to mitigate the traffic impacts of potentially almost doubling the capacity of the Crested Butte Community School.
Plans for a future Cement Creek Road roundabout will come at a later time, but all three roundabouts are meant to address problematic intersections in the North Valley.
