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Design contract for South Midland rebuild awarded

Traffic navigates the south Glenwood roundabout at 27th and Midland on a typical weekday morning during the school year.
Chelsea Self / Post Independent |

Glenwood Springs has taken a critical step toward addressing a key transportation goal, which was also a key topic of discussion during the recent City Council election.

Council last week awarded a $217,928 contract to SGM engineers to begin designing what will essentially be a complete rebuild of South Midland Avenue between 27th Street and the Four Mile Road intersection.

Preliminary engineering has been ongoing, and the estimated $425,000 worth of design work will be spread over two years. The initial work will bring the project to 30 percent of final design, City Engineer Terri Partch explained in a memo to City Council members.



“The remaining design will be budgeted and performed in 2018,” she said.

Actual construction will depend on future funding. The project is estimated to cost at least $12 million and will entail a full rebuild of the former county road to city street standards, including wider driving lanes, curb and gutter, drainage system and sidewalks.



City voters last fall authorized a 30-year extension of Glenwood’s special 1-cent acquisitions and improvements tax, along with $54 million in bonding capacity, part of which is intended help fund transportation projects around the city.

Prioritizing those tax dollars and other funding resources with regard to South Midland Avenue was a key topic in the City Council election earlier this month. Midland is one of three major infrastructure projects in the south Glenwood corridor that have been moving up the city’s long-term priority list.

Engineering, design work and an environmental review continue for the eventual replacement of the 27th Street bridge. A final environmental assessment document is expected this year for the estimated $45-million South Bridge project.

As with the Midland rebuild, construction funding has yet to be identified for either of those projects.

The Midland design work will utilize $158,000 in funding from the Garfield County Road and Bridge mill levy, as well as funds from the newly passed 5 percent marijuana excise tax, a portion of which is going into the city street tax fund.


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