The Daily Sentinel, Oct. 23, 2024- A large crowd gathered at the Lunch Loops Trailhead on Tuesday evening for a groundbreaking on the
second phase of the Monument Trail project, which will install a concrete path from the Lunch Loops to South Camp Road.
The first phase of the project was completed in 2020 and connected Lunch Loops to the Riverfront Trail. When the second phase is complete, it will form a 10-mile loop through the Redlands connecting the Monument Road, South Camp, Connected Lakes and Audubon trails.
Speakers from the City of Grand Junction, Colorado West Land Trust, Great Outdoors Colorado, the Colorado Lottery and One Riverfront remarked on the work it took to get to the point of constructing the trail.
“The city is proud to break ground on this missing 1.6-mile link that will create a 10-mile loop here across the Redlands and tie into the riverfront trail,” Grand Junction Transportation and Engineering Director Trent Prall said. “Over 10-plus years has been invested, so far just in getting everything constructed.”
Colorado West Land Trust Executive Director Rob Bleiberg gave some of the history of the Monument Road corridor and the work the Land Trust has done over the years to purchase the properties necessary to complete the Monument Trail.
“Now, 15 years or so after we began acquiring the three sisters property, we acquired 10 other real estate interests, 10 other properties, about 230 acres in total that are now owned by the City of Grand Junction and are open for public access and recreation,” Bleiberg said. “(They are) also encumbered with the restrictions saying that that land shall always be a park open to this community.”
Bleiberg said the Land Trust raised around $5 million in total through its efforts to preserve open space and make way for the Monument Trail. For this phase, GOCO contributed $500,000.
Construction will begin in the coming weeks on two culverts necessary to complete the trail, Prall said. He said the construction should last around six months in total with the trail being open to the public in spring of next year.
Mayor Abe Herman commented on the use of the already completed phase by the community, as well as how important it is for the city to provide safe routes for people using alternative modes of transportation like biking.
“This corridor enables community members to utilize the trail for everyday needs,” Herman said. “And it not only connects neighborhoods, but it also connects people to our local businesses and our downtown. And it’s part of our broader effort to support economic growth, tourism and to create more vibrant community spaces.”
After the comments, the speakers and others involved with the project flipped shovels full of dirt with special spades with mountain bike handlebars for handles and sprinkled native seeds.
OCT
2024