The City of Steamboat Springs and Connell Resources are in the final steps of completion of reconstruction of Central Park Drive. Construction began in April and will be completed and open to traffic by the end of the day Friday, July 15th. A formal ribbon cutting ceremony will be held on Friday July 15th at 2:30 pm within the current closure area of Central Park Drive, immediately in front of the mountain bound transit stop near Anytime Fitness. The ribbon cutting is open to the public to attend. A special thanks to Connell Resources for the overtime hours and diligence in meeting the strict timeline demands of the incentive bonus agreement contract.
The City would also like to especially thank the many businesses and tenants that have access off of Central Park Drive and the traveling public for their patience throughout the construction efforts.
Special thanks is due to Alpine Bank, One Alpine Plaza, Corporex, the Kroenke Group, Marco Polo and Argonaut Food, and Kroger/City Market. This project is a successful example of a collaborative approach to roadway design including surrounding property owner input, extensive traffic and pavement evaluation, and easement dedication. The project benefits the traveling public by improving circulation to an important commercial center for the community. The reconstruction also addresses pedestrian safety concerns by providing crosswalks and widening sidewalks and provides a more aesthetic roadway streetscape.
While Central Park Drive will be open for traffic, construction on Snapdragon Way will begin on Monday, July 18th and will be ongoing through mid-August. Access to the Resort Group Building will not be available via Snapdragon Way. Visitors and occupants of the Resort Group Building will need to access the parking lot via Resort Drive. Taco Bell/KFC will be accessible from Central Park Drive.
Some work along Central Park Drive may still occur in the fall to install landscaping within the medians and roundabouts. This work is being delayed in order to wait for more conducive weather for planting. The Central Park Drive portion of the reconstruction work is forecast to be completed within budget.
Project History: Central Park Drive serves as one of the primary hubs for transit use. The road was originally constructed about 30 years ago as part of the Steamboat Village Commercial Center and has seen significant development on adjacent parcels. The two bus stops have the highest use of any stops within the City in the summer months and ranks in the top five in annual ridership. The pedestrian crossing at this location was poorly defined with wide pavement. The problem was further compounded in winter with high wind-rows and slippery surfaces.
In recent years, the roadway surface exhibited surficial failure, especially at areas of frequent turning movements. In addition, complaints relating to traffic signal efficiency and lack of defined turning lanes arose. The roadway was originally designed as a two lane road. However, the horizontal curvature renders the two lanes redundant and potentially unsafe. Observation of vehicle path travel indicates frequent lane drift. This results in inefficient use of the existing pavement width.
In 2011, the city identified Central Park Drive as in need of pavement maintenance. At the time and due to the issues mentioned above, Public Works determined that there was a need to take a step back to look at a comprehensive layout of the roadway. Upon allocation of dollars in 2012, the City began design efforts by conducting a soils and pavement evaluation, conducting traffic counts, evaluating traffic, and contracting with Baseline Engineering for an evaluation of the roadway and a study of alternative roadway layouts. Based on Baseline’s findings and after conducting outreach meetings with the adjacent property owners, a design layout was developed that integrated drainage improvements, enhanced pedestrian crossings, improved transit stops, bike lanes, and a roundabout at the most problematic intersection along the roadway.