Parks seeks $16 million design award for Clear Creek Trail central canyon segment; full build cost estimated at $150'00 million

Jefferson County Parks and Conservation staff briefed commissioners on the Clear Creek Trail work in Clear Creek Canyon and described a proposed $16 million contract to progress design of the central canyon segment.

Tom Hobie (Parks and Conservation) and Brian Hartman (Park Infrastructure and Services director) said the Central Canyon segment is roughly six miles long and that the county has secured about $20.6 million in grant funding toward the work. "The bad news is that this segment will probably cost in the order of $150 to $160,000,000," Hobie said, and staff described the $16 million award as funding for about 90% of the design under a progressive design-build approach that will then allow the project team to identify construction-stage discoveries and refine the scope.

Staff emphasized the engineering challenges in Clear Creek Canyon, including constrained roadside conditions adjacent to U.S. 6 and historic blast-rock foundations under the highway that complicate shoring and soil-nail installation. Brian Hartman described field-level complications such as grout migrating into voids in blast rock used as road subgrade and said teams have adopted technical solutions such as grout containment socks to stabilize drilled soil nails beneath the roadway.

Hartman said the county has completed other canyon segments (Up Canyon and gateway segments) and described the Huntsman segment as roughly three miles with two trailheads and amenities; staff expect to open the first 1.5 miles of the Huntsman area later this year. The Central Canyon design award to a consultant (construction engineering and inspection/CEI team) would allow the county to prepare the segment for progressive construction procurement. Staff also noted that federal grant terms require construction to start by 2026 and that the county is coordinating with CDOT, DRCOG and other partners to meet grant conditions.

Staff cautioned that the full six-mile Central Canyon segment could require additional funding and suggested the county may "de-federalize" parts of the work after the federal grant portion is expended to reduce the administrative and prevailing-wage costs associated with federal funding. Commissioners praised the staff and described the trail as a legacy project; the transcript records no formal recorded roll-call vote on the $16 million design award in the briefing record.

Clarifying details: county staff said the Central Canyon design award request to the CEI contractor is $16,000,000; grant funding to date is roughly $20,600,000; the estimated total construction cost for the six-mile Central Canyon segment is approximately $150,000,000 to $160,000,000; the Huntsman segment (about three miles) includes a new parking area and is expected to open initial trail sections later this year.