In Boulder, local and visiting cyclists have long sought a dedicated path away from the popular but dangerous shoulders of a highway through scenic, hilly countryside. 

They’ll have to keep waiting. A bike path along U.S. 36 between Boulder and Lyons still requires bureaucratic approvals, tens of millions of dollars and potentially another year or two of thorough, technical analysis. 

But finally, a vision is forming.

Boulder County recently hosted an open house to gather opinions on designs for the North Foothills Bikeway. An online survey has also been collecting opinions on those concepts that came out of a 2024 feasibility study.

That study marked the first major progress toward getting cyclists off the road known as the deadliest in all of unincorporated Boulder County. Between 2015 and 2024, the county tracked crashes resulting in 13 injuries and six deaths. Just last week, a cyclist was reported seriously injured after a hit and run.

“The bottom line of what makes it dangerous is you have 3,000 pounds of steel going 60 mph, and they’re next to a human being with nothing to protect them other than a helmet,” said Alexandra Phillips, Boulder County’s bike planner. “There’s no separation.” 

Nonetheless, about 52,000 cyclists take to the road every year, according to an in-ground counter.

The road “is beautiful, and it’s even more beautiful when you’re on a bike,” Phillips said, also recognizing the connection to Left Hand Canyon and other surrounding destinations ー “some of the best biking anywhere.”

But “the only people who ride that road are people who we call the fearless cyclist,” Phillips said. “If there was a separated bikeway, it would open it up to all the other people.”

Stretching 11 miles, the idea is a 12-foot-wide concrete path situated 20 or 30 feet away from the highway in most places. In more narrow places, barriers would be installed. 

“Other times, because of all the weird topography ー and I mean weird ー we’ll need retaining walls or railings, things like that,” Phillips said. 

More infrastructure has been imagined: raised crossings, overpasses and underpasses at complex intersections. Along with public intersections, the design will account for private driveways off the highway.

Land ownership was a major focus of the feasibility study. It recommended the bikeway on the east side of the highway to take advantage of Colorado Department of Transportation rights of way.

“It’s not just like putting in a sidewalk,” Phillips said. “It’s a complicated project.” 

Which might explain the estimated price tag: $95 million. Boulder County is seeking federal grants to cover the majority. 

But first, the North Foothills Bikeway needs a final design ー a contracted engineering study that might still be a couple of years out, Phillips said. That analysis will account for public feedback currently being collected. 

Questions regard four “focus areas,” where the feasibility study called for deeper analysis.

On the south end closest to Boulder, one option is an underpass or a crossing to the west side of U.S. 36, where the path would follow Old Broadway. The next “focus area” north is at the intersection with Neva Road, where similar infrastructure of much differing costs are being weighed: an overpass or a raised crossing. 

Various crossings are outlined for the last two “focus areas” at Left Hand Canyon ー either under an existing bridge at Left Hand Creek or a new full signal ー and at the Colorado 66 intersection near Lyons.

Every option comes with considerations for safety and comfortability along with costs and environmental impacts, Phillips explained.

“Basically every single option has some really good ways of working and also some negatives,” Phillips said. “I’ve spent so much time staring at these that depending on the day I have a different preference. So I’m waiting to hear from the public.” 

The public will have to wait on funding and the final design. “It’s still years out before we would be able to start construction,” Phillips said, adding the possibility of phases “where we build a mile or a couple of miles at a time.” 

She suggested the wait would be worth it. 

“I think it’s going to be a huge draw for Boulder and for people in other parts of Colorado and other parts of the world,” she said. “It’s going to be an amazing resource.”