Arapahoe County commissioners hear joint request to fund Lee Gulch underpass at Broadway

City of Littleton and South Suburban Parks and Recreation told the Arapahoe County Board of County Commissioners on March 10 that an emergency culvert replacement at Lee Gulch and Broadway has created a narrow opportunity to add a pedestrian underpass to a regional trail.

The underpass would close a long-standing detour on the Regal/Regional trail north of Littleton Adventist Hospital, create an ADA‑accessible connection under Broadway and eliminate steep trail slopes on the west side, presenters said.

Sarah White, water resources manager for the City of Littleton, said crews are opening Broadway for culvert repairs and "because we are open cutting Broadway, it's providing us this unique opportunity to do this." She told the board construction for the culvert repair is expected to begin in a few weeks and that roadwork and related Broadway disruption are estimated at roughly five to six months for the roadway component, with trail and revegetation work continuing afterward.

Project cost estimates presented to the board put the combined culvert repair and underpass at about $8,000,000, with the trail/underpass portion just over $4,000,000. White said the applicants are seeking a joint Arapahoe County Open Spaces (ACOS) grant with a 50% match, which would be "just over $2,000,000." South Suburban and the City of Littleton would each provide roughly $1,000,000 toward the match, White added; South Suburban's internal budget amendment to approve its share was not yet final and was scheduled for a board meeting later that week.

South Suburban Parks and Recreation will be asked to assume operations and maintenance for the pedestrian underpass and adjoining trails; presenters provided a rough annual maintenance estimate of $7,600. White and other presenters cautioned that trail designs are not finalized because the culvert repair work is being expedited; the underpass alignment shown to the board was a conceptual plan intended to illustrate the proposed connection under Broadway.

Commissioners asked about traffic management during the roadwork. Presenters said traffic would be maintained by staging work in halves of the roadway so one lane in each direction remains open while crews work on the other half. Commissioners also asked about the grant and fund sources; open‑space staff explained the county would use money from its acquisition and development fund (a portion of open‑space tax revenue) for joint projects rather than the separate grant fund.

Commissioner Leslie Sunny, whose district includes the site, said she "really love[s] this project," citing heavy traffic near the hospital and the connection to the High Line Canal. Commissioner Jessica Campbell and others praised the cost estimate as comparatively low for a Broadway crossing, noting other High Line Canal underpass projects have been estimated at far higher amounts.

The board expressed informal support for the joint application by showing "thumbs up" during the study session; no formal vote or binding county commitment was recorded in the transcript. Commissioner Baker was noted as absent and excused.

If the county later moves a formal request to fund the project, staff indicated it would return with finalized designs, an executed South Suburban budget amendment (if approved), and any other required intergovernmental agreements.