Coalition 4 Cyclists has provided a letter of support that includes reference to C4C’s $57,400 contribution to the local match for Boulder County’s application for a $25M Safe Streets for All Grant (SS4A). The funding would be used to build the North Foothills Safety Project including the separated bikeway from the City of Boulder to Neva Road.
Federal and state grants typically have a 20% local match. In this case, the match for $25M is $5M. Boulder County is seeking partners like CDOT and the City of Boulder to fulfill the entire match. Though small relative to the total need, it is unusual for a non-governmental organization to contribute to a match. It signals significant local interest in the project.
The $57,400 figure comes from C4C’s recent fundraising gala, Crank It Forward. At that event, the paddle raise was devoted to this purpose and raised $57,400 which goes entirely to this application. C4C will continue to seek funds to support the construction of the entire 11 mile and $95M project between Boulder and Lyons.
The grant application will be submitted in late June, 2025 to the USDOT. The $25M amount is sufficient to build about three miles of the southern end of the project’s scope. The southernmost five miles between the City of Boulder and Lefthand Canyon are the most used and the most dangerous. Many infrastructure projects are built in phases according to funding. This project could do the same.
US 36 North Foothills Highway between Boulder and Lyons is one of if not Colorado’s most dangerous road for cyclists and the crash data shows it. For C4C, the project is,
- Urgent. Infrastructure needs to be adapted more rapidly in order to fix the adverse safety outcomes that current infrastructure predictably reproduces.
- Crucial. With over 54,000 bike trips a year on the existing roadway and 80% of the candidate cycling population avoiding the roadway due to objective safety concerns, the connection in this part of the network is necessary.
- Important. The project’s comprehensive approach to roadway safety, intersection improvements, transit improvements, appealing and accessible roadway and bikeway facilities, and future planned wildlife crossings make it a role-model project for safety for all.
The US 36 North Foothills Safety for All Project one-pager.
Contact Matt Muir, C4C staff, at matt@c4community.org for more information.