Jefferson County will begin a road project next spring that’s short in distance but expected to have a big, long-term impact on Evergreen.

The construction is designed to improve a busy quarter-mile segment of County Highway 73 between Plettner Lane — near the base of the Evergreen Dam — to just past the highway’s intersection with Little Cub Creek Road.

Project plans call for replacing the aging Little Cub Creek Road bridge, adding a six-foot-wide bicycle lane and a turn lane, adding parking and improving sight distance on the highway’s curves by widening it.

The work is expected to begin in April or May 2025 and wrap up in November. County staff said two-way traffic will continue to flow through the construction area during peak morning and evening hours.

Currently, about 18,000 vehicles use that section of the highway daily. It’s not only access to and from downtown Evergreen, but to Evergreen Library, and roads that connect to Evergreen High School, Wilmot Elementary and Alderfer/Three Sisters park. It’s also a well-used route for drivers traveling to Conifer and U.S. Highway 285. Visitors to Evergreen often park along its shoulders to walk around Evergreen Lake and take pictures of the spillway.

A county map shows the project’s location. Credit: Jefferson County Development & Transportation

“Improving it any bit helps,” said Erik Turnquist, the county’s civil engineer supervisor. “Any accidents there back up traffic.

“The main issue is sight distance on some of the curves are pretty tight, and the width of the roadway,” Turnquist continued. “The county is also adding some paved widening for pedestrians and bikes on the creek side of the road from near downtown to the library to make it more accessible.”

The stretch of road is also now home to Evergreen Fire/Rescue’s Station One, but plans call for that station to be demolished and moved to the site of the former Evergreen Mountain Market.  The new station will combine EFR’s Stations 1 and 4 and is expected to be operational by 2027.   

Station 1’s move will allow for more parking spaces and a crosswalk.

Turnquist said the county is working with the State Historical Preservation Office to ensure the project doesn’t disturb a historic rock wall that currently extends along Highway 73.

But it will add a separate, 300-foot retaining wall between the highway and the creek to improve sight distance and allow for adding a paved shoulder for pedestrians and bikes.

While the Jefferson County commissioners still need to approve the project contract, Turnquist said it’s expected to pass.

“The board has been briefed multiple times during the life of the project, from applying for the original grant to the changes in the scope of the project,” he said.

Because the project hasn’t yet been put out to bid, the county isn’t yet revealing cost estimates. It’s funded largely by Federal Highway Administration funds, with the county supplying 20% of the cost.

Evergreen highway project will improve short, critical section of Highway 73 - Canyon Courier

Jefferson County will begin a road project next spring that’s short in distance but expe...

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