MultiModal Golden: Light Rail, Pedestrian Bridge, Clear Creek Management

The train is coming down the track. The "W Rail" will connect Golden with Lakewood, Denver and beyond, easing traffic congestion and reducing air pollution. Grand opening day ceremonies at the Jeffco.Golden station are scheduled on Friday, April 26 and a day-long station party on Saturday, April 27. If you can't just can't wait to take a traffic-jam-proof trip downtown, click on this video for flyover travel between Union Station  and Golden.  http://www.rtd-fastracks.com/wc_157.

And -- at last -- Golden has cleared the way for construction of our pedestrian bridge linking both sides of West Sixth Avenue at the W Rail station. We secured federal funding for this project back in March 2011 because it received high scores for potential user base, safety, multimodal connectivity, reduction in Vehicle Miles Traveled, and pollutant reduction. We added amounts from RTD and the City for full funding. The Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners, however, had to sign off on the project because the county owns property at the bridge landing areas. Just this week, we elicited the Commissioners' agreement. Though there are still formalities to complete before the start of construction, the walking or cycling journey from the Heritage Road neighborhoods or businesses to the station or the Taj will be much safer, quicker, and more pleasant by mid-summer.

Talk of summer brings to mind enjoyment of the Clear Creek Corridor during the coming warm days. This is the ultimate multimodal throughway -- walkers, runners, cyclists, and kayakers all share this space. As you will recall, last year's high-season use was unprecedented. This year, the City is working with the National Park Service to develop a management plan through a public engagement process, starting with an open house at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 12 at the community center. Just before the open house, you are invited to walk the creek with city councilors, sharing observations and ideas as we proceed toward the community center. Round up your family and friends and meet us in Vanover Park around 4:30 p.m. for a walking audit. We'll reach fresh perceptions about creekside conditions -- and get some of our fitness steps in at the same time.