Midland Avenue Streetscape Project

Project Update:

Construction for the 2024 Phase 2 of the project is ongoing and runs through the end of the year. An informational flyer for Phase 2, including work being done and general construction schedule can be found here.

Background

The Midland Avenue Streetscape project is a voter approved initiative to improve essential Town infrastructure and beautify downtown Basalt. The project is designed to boost vitality on Midland Avenue, enhance economic development opportunities, build resiliency into crucial infrastructure, improve pedestrian access throughout town, and connect the newly renovated Basalt River Park to historic downtown.

In 2020 the Town of Basalt Master Plan identified upgrades and improvements on Midland Avenue Streetscape as a priority project with the goals of addressing failing infrastructure and ensuring that the heart of Basalt continues to be an inviting and vital location for commerce to thrive. In 2021, 71% of Basalt voters approved the streetscape project.

The Project

The project includes both below and aboveground improvements. The project is essential to address aging infrastructure. The result will be a more integrated Midland Avenue that creates opportunities for businesses to thrive and the public to engage with one another in a more vibrant space. This is accomplished by redesigning the physical space on Midland Avenue. The improvements will result in wider sidewalks on both sides of the street, improved ADA accessibility, more natural elements, new parking design with the same number of spaces as there are now, a clearer pedestrian flow between historic downtown and the Roaring Fork River, additional seating downtown, additional public art, and increased parking for bicycles. You can learn more about the multimodal approach here.

Infrastructure Improvements

Infrastructure improvements are at the heart of this project. Our slideshow explains the improvements for each of the infrastructure improvement areas. Click on the photo to view the video.

Improvement areas include:

Project Boundaries

The project includes Midland Avenue from the intersection with Two Rivers Road through the intersection with East Homestead Drive. It also includes the Midland spur between Midland Avenue and Two Rivers Road.

Public Engagement Guided Project Design

A robust engagement process that resulted in significant community input helped shape the character and features of the design concept, which leans deeply into Basalt’s historic appearance and includes places to linger, additional trees, and wider sidewalks that flow safely into the streets. The design also encourages slower traffic speeds. The design pays homage to Midland Avenue’s history as a hub in the midvalley railroad corridor. Many of Basalt’s building facades date back to the 1890s when railroad was the major means of transportation through the region.

See before and after video of photos and renderings of specific locations on Midland Avenue.

Financial Information

The Midland Streetscape is funded by various sources that include voter approved bonds, grants, and Town reserves.

In 2021 Ballot Issue 3A was put before voters asking if they supported the Town of Basalt issuing bonds of up to $18 million dollars for three projects: affordable housing, green projects, and the Midland Streetscape project. The ballot measure passed with 71% of the voters approving the funding; however, it is important to know that ballot issues such as these offer the Town Council conceptual financial approval for projects, not specific details or a maximum amount that could be budgeted and spent on each initiative.

After the issuance of the bonds totaling $18 million, Council allocated the overall funding for the three projects as follows:

Midland Streetscape Project $9.5 million
Green Projects $2.1 million
Affordable Housing $6 million

Council was careful to explain that these bond funds would be leveraged to obtain grants and supplemented with town reserves to make the bond proceeds go further on all these projects.

As early as an August 2021 worksession the Town estimated an $11.5 million budget for the Midland Streetscape project based on a preliminary concept that did not include the Midland Spur.

Through public feedback and engineering studies during the infrastructure design process, it was determined that improvements in the Midland Spur were a critical addition for the water, electrical, and stormwater infrastructure resiliency as well as providing enhanced parking, pedestrian safety, and improved lighting. Including Midland Spur to create a safer and more comprehensive project added $4.1 million to the project cost and initial estimate.

Today, the Midland Streetscape project is fully funded with a total budget of $16.8 million including contingencies which covers added scope or unforeseen circumstances during construction.

In addition to the $9.5 million in bond funds, the budget comes from $3.4 million in Town reserves specifically dedicated for this project, and $1.2 million in contingency funds, also from Town reserves. The Town also secured $2.6 million in grants, interest, and partnership funding which comes from outside sources. Because of this external support for the project, the Town of Basalt’s total investment in the Midland Streetscape project is $14.2 million.

This long-term investment in the Town’s infrastructure was approved by Council and supported during the public input process prior to the project start.

Construction Approach and Timeline

The construction will be done in phases, moving along Midland Avenue from Midland Spur and heading eastward.

Estimated Construction Timeline 2024

Project Team

Questions about the project?

Reach out to midlandstreetscape@gmail.com