Basalt improves safe routes to school with grant
In This Section
CML Newsletter
Aug. 19, 2025
By Mitzi Rapkin for the Town of Basalt
The Town of Basalt's citizen-led Parks, Open Space, and Trails Committee has been working on improving pedestrian connections to and around the Basalt Elementary and Middle school campuses. Features including rainbow-colored crosswalks and colorful temporary bollards to designate a protected pedestrian zone have been well received since installation in 2024. Now, with the award of a $573,200 grant from the Colorado Department of Transportation, a project to improve a .2 mile section of Two Rivers Road in historic downtown Basalt will be realized in 2026.
Basalt values including stakeholders in the design process of public improvements. The town was lucky enough to partner with Basalt-based Design Workshop, a design firm that does an annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. Last year, Design Workshop collaborated with Basalt Girl Scout Troop 17080 on their service day to gather feedback and brainstorm ways to make this section of town safer and more appealing to kids. A dozen fourth and fifth graders identified ways to enliven the area and added concepts they thought might make the area safer and more fun. (Ideas incorporated play into the streetscape, including colorful fish-themed paintings and hopscotch!)
Based on their ideas, temporary improvements were installed that include colorful crosswalks and bollards to expand pedestrian safety areas and signal drivers to slow down.
The project will be completed in two phases — first, the bridge surface redesign, and second, improvements along Two Rivers Road including continuous bike lanes, elevated pedestrian visibility or new ADA accessible sidewalks and crosswalks, improved signage, improved pedestrian level lighting, and new drainage elements.
The impact of the grant funds to improve an area of town travelled by school-age children daily is profound.
“The improvements that the Town of Basalt will make in this area are significant for the community and for the safety of our children,” said Catherine Christoff, Town of Basalt Engineer. “The infrastructure we have today discourages walking or riding bikes to school because of the risk of conflicts with cars. Traffic calming measures and design changes will make walking and biking to school more appealing. The improvements will also provide some beatification to this well-loved area.”
Basalt is considering the creation of a Two Rivers Road improvement badge for the Girl Scouts.
Members of Basalt Girl Scout Troop 17080 work with Design Workshop on ideas for a more pedestrian-friendly area of Basalt.
Basalt values including stakeholders in the design process of public improvements. The town was lucky enough to partner with Basalt-based Design Workshop, a design firm that does an annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. Last year, Design Workshop collaborated with Basalt Girl Scout Troop 17080 on their service day to gather feedback and brainstorm ways to make this section of town safer and more appealing to kids. A dozen fourth and fifth graders identified ways to enliven the area and added concepts they thought might make the area safer and more fun. (Ideas incorporated play into the streetscape, including colorful fish-themed paintings and hopscotch!)
Based on their ideas, temporary improvements were installed that include colorful crosswalks and bollards to expand pedestrian safety areas and signal drivers to slow down.
The project will be completed in two phases — first, the bridge surface redesign, and second, improvements along Two Rivers Road including continuous bike lanes, elevated pedestrian visibility or new ADA accessible sidewalks and crosswalks, improved signage, improved pedestrian level lighting, and new drainage elements.
The impact of the grant funds to improve an area of town travelled by school-age children daily is profound.
“The improvements that the Town of Basalt will make in this area are significant for the community and for the safety of our children,” said Catherine Christoff, Town of Basalt Engineer. “The infrastructure we have today discourages walking or riding bikes to school because of the risk of conflicts with cars. Traffic calming measures and design changes will make walking and biking to school more appealing. The improvements will also provide some beatification to this well-loved area.”
Basalt is considering the creation of a Two Rivers Road improvement badge for the Girl Scouts.
Members of Basalt Girl Scout Troop 17080 work with Design Workshop on ideas for a more pedestrian-friendly area of Basalt.