The 27th Street Project has officially wrapped up phase one and begun phase two. 

Ben Ludlow, projects manager for the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority, presented an update of the project to Glenwood Springs City Council on Thursday. He said that phase one was completed with 141 feet of the underpass dug so far. 

Phase one included construction of the east portal and the east half of Highway 82 underpass. 

In terms of progress for phase 2 of the project, Ludlow said they have begun construction on the walls of the underpass. Phase two is slated to go through May 2024 and includes construction on the west half of the Colorado Highway 82 underpass and the south half of 27th Street. 

“You can actually walk all the way underneath Highway 82 now,” Ludlow said. “That underpass has been completed. We’re working on waterproofing the backfill and continuing with utilities.” 

The roughly $17.9 million project began in April 2023 and first broke ground in June. The pedestrian underpass, as well as general construction for the project, is slated to wrap up by October of this year, which so far has employed 226 people. 

The project will create two underpass tunnels for pedestrians and cyclists to move through, one under Highway 82 and one under 27th Street — the goal being to safely connect the Rio Grande Trail and the RFTA Bus Rapid Transit Station. 

Ludlow said the project has struggled to get striping done on the roads due to the winter weather. 

“Currently, right now we have a concern on-site,” Ludlow said. “I know everyone has seen that when you drive to the job site, you can’t see the stripes … With some warm and dry weather, we will pursue restriping Highway 82.” 

Ludlow added that they plan to restripe during times of low traffic to ease the impact on traffic. 

“Again, we just remind everyone, please be cautious driving through the job site and show some patience and slow down,” Ludlow said. 

To sign up for project updates, visit 27thstreetproject.com.