At its meeting Wednesday, the San Miguel County Commissioners moved to begin design/engineering work and the prioritization of Open Space and Recreation funding for the purpose of constructing a bicycle/pedestrian underpass at the Hwy. 145/Lawson Hill intersection just south of Society Turn.

Highway 145 at Society Drive is the major route for commuters traveling to and from the Lawson Hill subdivision, Mountain Village, Ophir and Rico areas. According to the county Open Space and Recreation Program’s Kari Distefano, safety is the main concern.

“It’s our hope that (the underpass) will prevent an accident,” Distefano told the BOCC. “We like to encourage people to use the bike path as a route into Telluride and people cite safety as a reason why they don’t use it. This intersection really scares me.”

A URS traffic study commissioned by the Town of Telluride in 2004 counted 4,408 vehicles passing through the intersection in one day. By 2025, that number is expected to climb to between 5,433 and 7,406 vehicles. With its high traffic volume and poor lines of sight, the intersection is currently considered unsafe for bicyclists and pedestrians.

Considering the Town of Telluride’s “Unplugged” program and the tri-governmental hiring of a Regional Sustainability Coordinator, Distefano said the community’s focus has turned to sustainability, and the availability of safe bicycle and pedestrian routes can encourage the use of alternative and environmentally friendly forms of transportation.

“With this underpass,” she said, “people will be more likely to use alternative forms of transportation. Our department believes it will promote safety and sustainability while augmenting tourism.”

Joan Anderson spoke out in support of the underpass project, telling the BOCC that this is a community priority.

“The more we can stay off the road,” she said, “the better it is going to be for the public. San Miguel County needs to step forward with this. It is important and it is a priority.”

The estimated cost of the project, which includes the underpass, utility relocation and approximately one-quarter mile of additional paved trail to a proposed parking lot, is one million dollars.

“The difficulty is it is an expensive project,” Distefano said. “Our best guess is that it is going to be around a million dollars. We are going to the Town of Telluride for funding and we intend to ask the Lawson Hill Property Owners Association as well.”

OSRP staff is seeking $500,000 from a San Miguel County Open Space and Recreation mill levy by 2008. They are also seeking $100,000 from the Colorado Department of Transportation, $250,000 from the Telluride Foundation Special Initiatives Fund, $50,000 from the Town of Telluride, $70,000 from Great Outdoors Colorado, and $30,000 from the Lawson Hill Property Owners Association.

OSRP has currently set aside approximately $250,000 for the construction of the underpass, while maintaining current commitments to operations and maintenance of the county fairgrounds in Norwood, Down Valley Park and Placerville Park. Upon final approval, construction for the underpass could begin in spring 2008.

In response to Distefano’s presentation, Commissioner Joan May said, “I think this is a huge project and it is a priority for this community and I appreciate the work you have done with this.”