Durango's Multi-Modal and Parks and Recreation Advisory boards met in early July to discuss the different possible options of extending the Animas River Trail. Currently the river trail starts on 32nd street and extends all the way to river road by Home Depot and Grease Monkey.
The expansion talk is focusing on connecting the south end of the trail at River Road to Three Springs. This will benefit the community in multiple ways. Residents of Three Springs will be able to connect to the rest of the community, as well as kids could ride their bikes to Escalante Middle School via the river trail.
This brings up the question of how. One option would be having the river trail cross over Highway 550. The other options in discussion would be adding a bridge. This would add at least $2 million extra to the expansion project. Bridge benefits would include safely crossing a busy highway, which is important to the parents of our community.
Cons of building a bridge, besides price, would include a disruption of flow for river trail goers. There would be steep areas and tight turns for bikers and runners.
Comments are open for review by the boards until July 31. The boards have not yet made a decision of how they will expand, and have not expressed a timeline for the construction plan. You can read more about the Animas River Trail Expansion in the Durango Herald here.
Source: http://www.durangogov.org/DocumentCenter/View/33