The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) announced Thursday that Basalt’s underpass will receive funding from the department’s Safe Routes to School Program. Only seven projects were approved for funding out of 21 communities who applied.
Basalt will receive $264,500, which will go towards the pedestrian underpass at the intersection of Highway 82 and Basalt Avenue. Leslie Feuerborn, who manages CDOT’s Safe Routes to School Program, said the goal is to get more kids to walk or bike to school.
“Basalt is a bit different than a lot of our projects because it is part of that bigger infrastructure change at that intersection,” she said. “I think their solution worked out well and it just so happened we had the funding that could help them out.”
Other partners in the project include Pitkin County Open Space and Trails and the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority. Pitkin County is contributing $640,000. Basalt has nearly all of the money to complete the $7.3 million project.
