The city of Durango has reached an agreement with property owner John Gilleland to allow the SMART 160 Trail, a connection that would link downtown Durango to the Three Springs area, to pass over his property.
Durango residents have waited years for a connection linking the Animas River Trail from the Sale Barn Trailhead to the Three Springs area. Although the latest development is a positive step forward, the trail is still “a number of years” and several construction phases away from realization, said Durango Assistant Parks Director Scott McClain.
Gilleland, who owns property west of Three Springs, could not immediately be reached for comment on Tuesday.
The SMART 160 Trail would allow cyclists and pedestrians traveling between Durango and Three Springs to bypass busy traffic on U.S. Highway 160.
It is planned to connect the Animas River Trail at the Sales Barn Trailhead near Home Depot to a trail near the Colorado Department of Transportation’s “Bridge to the Future,” formerly known by residents as the “Bridge to Nowhere,” near Three Springs, according to a project description in the city’s 2024 budget.
McClain said at a July 2 Durango City Council meeting that Gilleland is agreeable to using a lower alignment along Wilson Gulch for the SMART 160 Trail. Otak Engineering will move forward with the design and engineering for the project.
“The next step will be really refining the design to the point … we can say this is what we need for the trail for construction,” he said.
From there, the city will again meet with Gilleland to confirm the designs work, he added.
“All my Three Springs folks are going to be super stoked about the SMART 160,” Councilor Dave Woodruff said.
He said the project may be moving forward slowly, but at least it’s making progress.
The city’s 2024 budget earmarks $3,223,267 for work on the SMART 160 Trail, which includes design and surveys projected to be completed by the end of October and construction possibly slated for this year and continuing into next year. The project is being funded by the Parks and Open Space and Trails quarter-cent fund.
In August 2023, Durango City Council approved a $1 million appropriation from the SMART 160 Trail project because it was behind schedule and the funding could help move along construction of pickleball courts at Schneider Park.
The pickleball courts were completed in June and opened for play on June 18. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for 1 p.m. Thursday.
“It’s another step in the right direction,” McClain said of the initial agreement with Gilleland. “Just based on the scale of the project, it’s going to be a multi-phased project over a number of years.”
cburney@durangoherald.com
