Colorado will receive some $1.7 million to help cover the cost of a new seven mile trail link of the Rocky Mountain Greenway and improve access to Rocky Mountain National Park and Chimney Rock National Monument.
U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced the grant money Monday during a visit to the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge outside Denver.
The proposed trail and open space network will eventually connect hundreds of trails in the Denver metropolitan area, provide access to Rocky Mountain National Park and three wildlife refuges - Rocky Mountain Arsenal, Two Ponds, and Rocky Flats.
“The Rocky Mountain Greenway is a shining example of what happens when strong federal, state, local and private partnerships align to take the vision of this uninterrupted trail and open space network and turn it into a reality for the Denver metropolitan area. Already we’ve constructed important links in the Greenway, and today’s funding will help complete another critical section to connect Denver’s hundreds of miles of trails,” Secretary Salazar said.
The Rocky Mountain Greenway partnership [.pdf], including the State of Colorado, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, local municipalities and nongovernmental organizations applied for and received the $1,735,000 in funding through a Sarbanes Transit in Parks grant.
“In his State of the Union address last week, President Obama called on us to upgrade our nation’s transportation infrastructure to help grow our economy and improve energy efficiency. By working with the Department of the Interior, we are improving access to modern transit services through our scenic parklands and helping preserve these national treasures for future generations,” said Secretary LaHood.
Monday's funding announcement builds on the recent completion of the Greenway’s eastern trail link, which stretches about three miles from the Sand Creek trail to the visitor center at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge.
The National Park Service will be issuing a draft proposal on a conceptual alignment for the trail from the Denver metropolitan area to the Rocky Mountain National Park and for public review and comment.
