Durango Herald Sunday Opinion
Written by: Robert Wolff
Imagine riding your bike north out of town all the way to Hermosa on a separated bike trail that has no huge climbs or big drops out for a casual lunch, for meetings or just for fun with your family. Last year several changes in my life made me believe we really need a bike trail from Hermosa to Durango. Then I observed that there is a 70 foot unused highway easement on the west side of 550 all the way to Hermosa. I believe the time is now to start the process and build it.
For the Fourth of July weekend, our family visited our daughter in Aspen. I was really impressed by what they have done with their trail system. It was also obvious that they provide for all manner of bikes, and they had actually connected the town directly to a 42-mile-long paved bike trail to Glenwood Springs. One day we rode the trail down valley 8 miles to Woody Creek for lunch. By 1pm there were probably 150 bikes parked outside. Later last summer, my wife and I were driving home from CR201 (Upper Hermosa Creek Road). She was driving, so I was daydreaming out the window to the west, and then it hit me. CDOT has about 70’ of grass on the westedge of the highway to the right-of-way fence. There is enough room to accommodate a multi-use trail to town as well as future lane expansions for the highway.
Twenty years ago, Durango was planning to connect what was then the future Three Springs development to city infrastructure and included a trail connection called Smart 160. That trail connection might finally be built this year. Hermosa Valley already has the population density, but no trail, nor a plan for one. If it is going to take 20 years to get a trail into the system, we need to act now.
As it turns out, it is a bit cumbersome. First we need the Southwest Planning Regional Transportation (SWTPR) folks to add the trail to the 2045 Long Range Plan. Once that is done the Regional Transportation folks need to prioritize the trail high enough for it to end up on the CDOT 10-year plan. CDOT is not planning to add projects to the 10-year plan for at least another 4 years. This system of prioritizing regional road projects is probably appropriate for roads, but for a multi-modal trail, in today’s world, I am not so sure it fits well in a legacy road-based system. There should prpbably be an exemption or a fast-track process for projects that have the clear ability to get people out of their cars, reduce carbon dioxide, ozone, particulate emissions and other greenhouse gases. That is not to mention the dramatic increase in safety by getting pedestrians, joggers, and cyclists off of CR 203, CR 250 and the shoulder of HWY 550 which is now used as a bike lane, but it is very dangerous. And what a perfect way to connect the Hermosa Valley to the city.
The beauty of a trail from Hermosa is the incline is smooth and will attract runners, roller blades, family bikes and E-bikes. Recreation is certainily a component in this trail proposal, but beyond that I think that E-bikes will change transportation as much as the change from horses to bicycles in the early 1900’s. When a rider can go more than twice as fast, with less than half of the effort, transportation will change. A great reason to consider this a muli-modal transportation proposal.
My first moniker for the Hermosa to Durango Trail project was Smarter, Better, Faster 550. Humor intended. To voice your support for this trail please visit: hermosatodurangobiketrail.com