Old Town Hot Springs has announced a four- to eight-week closure of the sidewalk along Lincoln Avenue to continue its renovations and expansion. Who decided this was a good idea? This sidewalk is the main pedestrian thoroughfare to downtown for the neighborhoods above OTHS. This sidewalk gets heavy use every day, including students going to school and workers in town using bus lines to access their jobs. This choice impacts the safety in our town.

The suggested detour reroutes walkers and cyclists a mile to the Hilltop intersection and back for what should be a 50-foot walk. Students or someone with a full time job downtown, whose only ability of commuting to school or work is by foot, is now being asked to walk an additional 10 miles per week by Old Town Hot Springs.

Faced with these two options, people are already making the unsafe choice to run quickly across the highway or walk along the makeshift barrier and into the traffic lanes. I urge Old Town Hot Springs to finish the project quickly. I urge members of our community to reach out to OTHS about this unsafe choice.

Garret Bock
Steamboat Springs