Colorado Byways Receive Funding

The awarded projects are:

• Lariat Loop: Constructs an interpretive kiosk at the entrance to a 900-car lot adjacent to the Morrison/Interstate 70 Interchange.  The interpretive panels will describe scenic, historic and natural places to see along the Lariat Loop - $40,000 (see attached picture).
• Trail of the Ancients McElmo Flume Overlook: Provide safe highway access to a proposed interpretative stop along the byway, and provide interpretive information on the importance of irrigation to the development of the Montezuma Valley.  The Flume is the only one left of 104 originally constructed - $252,631 (see rendering below).
• Colorado Welcome Center/Trinidad: Consists of structural, functional and aesthetic upgrades to both the interior and exterior of the Welcome Center site - $280,904.
• Gold Belt Tour: Installs safety fencing along 10 miles of the High Park Road to keep the cattle off the road way while preserving important ranching history - $65,600.
• Silver Thread: provides new accessible restrooms, interpretation, paving repairs, and new buck and pole fencing at Spring Creek Reservoir and at the top of Spring Creek Pass - $110,080.
• Los Caminos Antiguos: provides six new entry signs at key locations and “portal communities” along the Byway in collaboration with the Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area - $157,000.
• Santa Fe Trail: provides eight interpretive signs for four newly opened visitor sites, viewing telescopes for two new sites, 12 bike racks for eight Bike the Byways locations - $69,120.
• Santa Fe Trail: Allows the public to experience the historic Santa Fe Trail firsthand through the four Colorado counties where the trail passes, building upon on-going efforts to increase awareness with trail improvements and additional signage - $39,288.
• Cache la Poudre-North Park: redesigns and fabricates information kiosk panels at approximately 35 locations along 53 miles of the Byway - $37,960
• Conservation and Development Planning Along Colorado's Byways: Consists of (a) establishing economic development plans for three Colorado byways that model how sustainable economic growth contributes to and benefits from natural resource protection; (b) expand conservation efforts on five byways to support public access and commerce; (c) provides new conservation outreach, planning, and implementation resources to eight byways and shares economic modeling and conservation tools with those byways; and (d) develops educational materials, showcasing the relationship between byways, land conservation, and economic development - $462,000

As part of the National Scenic Byways Program, the FHWA awarded more than $35 million for 125 projects in 44 states.  In addition to project eligibility, the FHWA selected projects with the most strategic benefit, livability, priority and the critical need assigned by the state or Indian tribe.  Other administrative criteria also was considered, such as benefits to the byway traveler, readiness to implement, and the ability to leverage private or other public funding within the context of the availability of funding.

For additional information about the awarded byways, please visit: http://www.coloradodot.info/news/documents/ScenicByways2012Awards.pdf

Eleven of Colorado’s 25 byways are designated as America’s Byways®, meaning they are nationally recognized for their outstanding scenic and historic attributes.  Colorado has the most nationally designated byways in the U.S.  Learn more about these scenic and historic road trips that preserve the state’s culture, history and natural wonder by visiting: www.ColoradoByways.org.

Lariat Loop interpretive kiosk (artist rendering)