This content was originally published by the Longmont Observer and is licensed under a Creative Commons license.
The Hover Street pedestrian and bicycle underpass at Dry Creek is officially open for use. This underpass is the second in the City of Longmont’s SW Longmont Underpass Projects. The first underpass was opened in January, 2017, at State Highway (SH) 119 and Hover Street. Both underpasses were identified in the City’s Envision Longmont Multimodal & Comprehensive Plan (Envision Longmont). The idea and decision to add these underpasses resulted from looking at Longmont’s transportation network as a whole and identifying missing links. These underpasses now provide key connections on the west side of town that benefit area neighborhoods, businesses and recreational travelers. They also support Longmont's Sustainability Plan by enhancing mobility for multiple modes of travel, reducing environmental impacts like air pollution and supporting a healthy, active community.
The Hover Street underpass at Dry Creek ties in to the Dry Creek Greenway trail and offers connectivity between the shopping center, Village at the Peaks, on the east side of Hover Street and the residential and commercial areas to the west. Customers and employees alike will be able to use the underpass to conveniently move around this bustling westside area.
In addition to providing safer crossings, the Hover underpass at Dry Creek and the SH 119 underpass at Hover work in complement to help travelers on foot or bicycle connect between the Left Hand Greenway and St. Vrain Greenway trails (see map below). This opens up expanded off-street, multimodal travel opportunities for recreation and commuting from west Longmont. The underpasses and the paths they connect are good options for families or other travelers seeking a lower-stress walking or bicycling experience.
During the next couple of weeks, crews will continue working on landscaping and other miscellaneous work items for the Hover Street underpass at Dry Creek. All lanes of travel on northbound and southbound Hover are now open to traffic, although some daytime lane restrictions may be required to complete the remaining work. All traffic devices and speed limits have been returned to their standard (non-work zone) set-up.
On the SH 119 at Hover underpass, a colorful tree mural was added as a finishing touch in July through the Art in Public Places Program.The mural was designed by Front Range Community College student, Courtney Saindon and was painted by the college's mural class.
The total cost for these two underpass projects is $4.1 million. The SH 119 underpass at Hover cost $1.8 million and was funded in partnership with Boulder County ($425K), the Denver Regional Council of Governments ($965K) and City of Longmont ($425K). The Hover Street underpass at Dry Creek was roughly $2.3 million with over half ($1.6 million) of the funds provided by the Denver Regional Council of Governments, a regional planning organization that administers federal transportation dollars to local governments like Longmont. Through money generated by the City’s ¾-cent Street Fund sales and use tax, Longmont is able to leverage local dollars required to obtain these types of federal funding opportunities.
This is a press release from the City of Longmont and is published by the Longmont Observer as a public service.
