The Boulder County Board of Commissioners has given county transportation officials initial support to begin designing a separated bikeway along U.S. 36 from North Boulder to Lyons.
The decision follows a determination by an engineering firm contracted by the county that the project, known as the North Foothills Bikeway, is technically feasible.
The move to advance to the design phase marks a significant milestone for a project that has been envisioned for years as a safer alternative to riding on the notoriously dangerous highway.
“We’re committed to keeping the momentum going,” Alexandra Phillips, a Boulder County bike planner working on the project, said during a meeting with county commissioners on Aug. 13.
A recently released feasibility study by Otak, Inc., a Louisville-based engineering firm, found that building an 11-mile, 12-foot-wide paved path on the east side of U.S. 36 would cost about $96 million. The county is likely to seek federal funding for the project.
The proposed bikeway would primarily serve recreational cyclists and is backed by several groups including Coalition 4 Cyclists, formerly known as Cyclists 4 Community, a Boulder-based nonprofit cycling advocacy organization. The project is also an advocacy priority for the parents of Magnus White, a 17-year-old cyclist who was struck and killed by a driver on Diagonal Highway in August 2023 while training for the UCI World Cycling Championships. Moreover, in June, the City of Boulder’s Transportation Advisory Board unanimously endorsed the project.
Despite this momentum, the project faces significant hurdles. It may need to pass through City of Boulder open space, which would require approval from the city’s Open Space Board of Trustees. It could also impact several wetlands, potentially requiring federal permits under the Clean Water Act.
The county is seeking to build much of the bikeway along the U.S. 36 right-of-way, but the engineering firm estimated the county could save up to $10 million by acquiring easements from several private property owners. These savings would result from avoiding the need to build retaining walls and other features required due to the corridor’s topography.
While the bikeway’s design could begin as early as this year, the project timeline remains unclear. The report assumes construction will begin in 2027 and take two years to complete.
“I would look for opportunities to phase or deliver more quickly,” Commissioner Ashley Stolzmann said of the project during the Aug. 13 meeting.
The other two county commissioners also supported the project.
“People do ride that road, and it is not safe. We have an opportunity to make it safer,” Commissioner Claire Levy said. She said the project would create “a phenomenal recreational opportunity for more members of the public who can really experience the joy of cruising down a hill through a nice meadow.”
Commissioner Marta Loachamin said she supports the project in part because it would make it safer to commute between Boulder and Lyons.
“My hope is that we will get more people to be able to use this path in all the different ways,” Loachamin said. “This might be a commuter opportunity for folks as well as recreation.”
Historically, U.S. 36 has been the county’s deadliest highway for cyclists. Between 2005 and 2016, seven cyclists died riding U.S. 36, mostly between Jay Road and Lyons, according to county data. The county’s Vision Zero action plan aims to eliminate serious and fatal traffic crashes by 2035.
A less expensive way to make the highway safer is to reduce speeds or widen the shoulder. However, county transportation officials said a separated bikeway would be safer than those alternatives. They pointed to the relatively wide shoulder on Diagonal Highway, another dangerous road in Boulder County, where a driver likely fell asleep at the wheel before veering onto the shoulder and striking White, according to the arrest affidavit.
In a separate but related initiative, Boulder County plans to break ground this fall on a $165 million project that includes a 12-foot-wide, nine-mile concrete bike path from Boulder to Longmont along CO 119. Last month, the City of Boulder also opened the new North Sky Trail, which runs from North Boulder to Joder Ranch on the west side of U.S. 36.
What’s $100 million among friends?
It’s unfortunate that the county and all of these advocacy groups continue to ignore the fact that we already have a perfectly good flat, off-street pathway that winds through beautiful farms and open space between Boulder and Lyons today. It’s called the Boulder Feeder Canal trail and there were plans to open it for recreation but they were killed about 15 years ago by NIMBY neighbors putting pressure on the landowner (Northern Water). They claimed safety issues but there are already thousands of miles of trails next to water canals in Colorado alone (probably millions of miles worldwide). Unfortunate that we can’t get things back together to re-advocate for this trail to be opened to the public.
👍🏻
Great point. Every time we ride along miles and miles of that beautiful path we wish we could ride it. Seems like the perfect solution.
I’ve lived just off Neva Road since 2003. I’ve witnessed some very close calls on the highway, especially in the summer when tourists are on the road. I’ve seen cyclists with no lights and dark clothing become nearly invisible when weather suddenly changes. I’ve seen cyclists struggle to keep upright when the wind is blowing. I fear for the lives of cyclists and sometimes my own life on that highway. Years ago I advocated for a separate bike path – such as is common throughout the Netherlands – and was told by more than one cyclist that such a path would not be disdained by the pro teams because, presumably, the path would be used by slow recreational cyclists and hikers and the like. But I wonder if the sponsors of the pro teams could be called upon to help promote a bike path and to contribute to its maintenance. I would think it would be in their best interests to protect their investments in racing teams.
AB Wright- Exactly, why is it that I don’t travel, but feel much more aligned with general policy of the rest of the world like the Netherlands, when my own country cannot figure it out? I say this with a caveat on support of internationally oriented biking opportunities in the US, which are very expensive. That caveat is that the developers that extract wealth disproportionally in the US from excessive growth in population and the infrastructure it commands, have to pay for it THEMSELVES, first!
If they build a concrete path it will be about 8600 cu yd of concrete. Not eco friendly or cheap (~$1M just for concrete material).
A hard pack cinder path will be much cheaper and just fine on a road bike (source: i ride road bikes all the time on cinder tracks)
Thanks for the story. There’s another, unpopular angle – accidents on 36 CAUSED by cyclists who simply ride away. It’s a thing, and since cyclists are not required to have licensing, they cannot be identified. While the vast majority of cyclists are courteous and cautious, there is a group of aggressive and militant riders who play nasty games with cars and traffic. The other issue the county might consider is the high death rates of deer and elk on 36, particular during the breeding season. I have never heard conversation about a game overpass. Maybe now would be a good time.
I think putting that money into better use like roads and bridges that are horrible.
We don’t need more bike paths what we need is better roads the county is full of bike paths and areas to ride our tax money needs to be put to better use.
Agreed! 101 Million for a bike path seems excessive when we can’t get the county to get some truckloads of dirt to rebuild the roads in the mountains. I am a cyclist too and while I like bike paths, I like the shocks and muffler on my car too. The wash boarding, potholes and exposed bed rock make the roads very unsafe.