Walton Creek Road, a high-trafficked street in the mountain area of Steamboat Springs, will see new sidewalks and an upgraded culvert installed in the next month, according to a city news release.

The project is along Walton Creek Road between U.S. Highway 40 and the intersection of Chinook Lane and Owl Hoot Trail. A sidewalk will be installed on the south side of Walton Creek Road, while the culvert that brings Burgess Creek under the same road will be upgraded.

The project will allow for safer pedestrian travel and improve flood resiliency in the area of Burgess Creek.

 “The Walton Creek-Burgess Creek project has been in the works for five years but was sidetracked by the pandemic and other complications,” Public Works Engineer Danny Paul said in the release. “It’s great to see these improvements finally come to construction, and I believe these features will be significant additions for the community.” 

Following Labor Day, Duckels Construction will have the ability to close Walton Creek Road to a single lane, with alternating traffic, for up to 10 days. While delays are expected, the road will be passable. Still, finding an alternate route is encouraged.

The improvements will come at the expense of several large willow trees along Walton Creek Road in the city’s right-of-way. The plan was to try to avoid losing the trees, but their proximity to the street required their removal. The city says new trees and hundreds of willow cuttings will be planted as part of the project.

The city has plans for a second phase of this project, which could remove areas of Walton Creek Road and U.S. 40 from the 100-year floodplain.