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Eagle Town Council discusses Grand Avenue Corridor plans and updated cost estimates

Revitalizing corridor won't come cheap

Participants gather last summer for a bike audit designed to test out what it is like to travel the Grand Avenue corridor on a bicycle and what safety concerns must be addressed in the corridor plan.
Courtesy photo

Updated plans for the Grand Avenue Corridor dominated discussion in Tuesday’s Eagle Town Council meeting as project leader and landscape architect Pedro Campos presented the latest design proposals for what is currently estimated to be a $56 million redevelopment.

Campos began with a review of the redevelopment’s guiding principles. The project aims to expand transportation options beyond personal vehicles, encourage community engagement with public spaces and Eagle businesses, and enhance the town’s aesthetic appeal — all while juggling environmental considerations, economic realities and equity concerns as distinct priorities. 

Described as “shooting for the moon,” by Campos, the design plan presented to Town Council members on Tuesday almost comprehensively met these goals. 



The proposal outlined an expansion of the roadway from two to four lanes, as well as the addition of a raised landscape median and four new roundabouts to better accommodate the roadway’s high traffic volume. According to Campos, however, even with the proposed improvements, the construction of an alternate interchange will likely be necessary at some point in the future as traffic volume projections indicate that daily travel demand in Eagle will more than double in the next 15 years. 

“One road cannot do it all,” he said.

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The plan also included a detached, 12-foot wide cycle track and 6-foot-wide designated pedestrian walkway, termed the “bistro-zone” in reference to the potential for roadside businesses to capitalize on the newly walkable community space. Both of these paths would be constructed along the south side of Grand Avenue. 

Addressing concerns for safety voiced by stakeholders, both the expanded roadway and new pedestrian zone would be illuminated by streetlights after dark. Other new installations would include decorative gateways on either side of the corridor, as well as by major streets in an effort to build town character and make way finding easier for visitors. 

Transitioning from a review of development plans, Campos handed over the presentation to planning consultants Andrew Knudsten and Sarah Dunmire to discuss financing the project. They shared three potential paths forward, scaled by estimated cost. 

The first option, at $56 million, represents estimated cost of the project if executed as proposed, without cost-reducing measures. The second plan, at $45.6 million would realize the majority of the redevelopment proposal, but eliminate a particularly costly section of the development West of Sylvan Lake Roundabout. This segment of Grand Avenue could potentially be developed at a later time. 

The most modest proposal, operates within the $32.7 million dollar budget originally slated in the town’s Capital Improvement Program and would require a major rescoping of the development. 

Certain considerations for final cost remain unknown. Specifically, as construction interferes with private property and the property of the Union Pacific Railroad to the north, the negotiation of leases or right of way acquisitions will be necessary. 

Knudsten and Dunmire concluded the presentation with strategies to finance the project at each budget-scale. Increasing sales and property taxes, introducing lock-boxes on e-commerce, marijuana and tobacco, and tax increment funding opportunities were among suggested strategies. At this time, the town has dedicated $10 million to the Grand Avenue project.

After the conclusion of the presentation, council members took time to respond, discussing increased property tax, combining the cycle and pedestrian track, and eliminating the west-most segment of the roadway as potential options to make the project most economically feasible. The council also proposed a work session to continue to evaluate cost-reducing measures as developers continue to advance planning for Grand Avenue.


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