DESIGN PLANS MOVE FORWARD; FALL CONSTRUCTION ENVISIONED Pitkin County Open Space and Trails has secured a lease from the Colorado Department of Transportation for a defined portion of the Hwy. 82 right-of-way adjacent to North Star Nature Preserve. The lease gives OST the ability to manage public uses and related facilities within the ingress/egress to the Preserve, improve vehicle and pedestrian safety, and enhance the North Star user experience.
OST has been working with an engineer to redesign four parking and pullout areas along the highway with the goal of constructing the improvements in fall of 2022. Public input related to parking improvements, generated during the 2020 North Star Management Plan process, has been reviewed and integrated. The plans are slated for a Location and Extent Review by the Pitkin County Planning and Zoning Commission in early 2022.
On Dec. 7, 2021, the Open Space and Trails Board reviewed the proposed designs. The presentation to the board and parking schematics are available above. The board plans to conduct a site visit to the parking areas contemplated for changes in the spring of 2022. The improvements will require realignment of the East of Aspen Trail in some areas, paving, fence installation, a concrete barrier/buffer separating parking from the highway and, where necessary, limited removal of trees to manage parking or trimming trees to improve sight lines for motorists.
The final design plans and a construction timeline will be provided here, as they become available, to keep residents and visitors informed. Formal public notice will occur for the county Planning and Zoning Commission review of the project in early 2022.
For more information contact: Carly Klein Senior Planner 970-920-5224 or carly.klein@pitkincounty.com