Colorado Parks & Wildlife Awards $250,000 for Rico Trails Alliance Pedestrian Bridge

Every year, hikers, mountain bikers, and Nordic skiers heading south from Rico on the Rio Grande Southern River Trail reach the same dead end at the Dolores River. Without a bridge, the only way to continue is a forced detour onto Highway 145. The Parks and Wildlife Commission approved a $250,000 grant to the Rico Trails Alliance at its March meeting to span that crossing.

The award is the maximum construction amount allowed under CPW's Non-Motorized Trails grant program. It funds the RGS pedestrian bridge across the Dolores River and 1.69 miles of trail completing the northern extension of the historic Rio Grande Southern railroad grade corridor. The bridge is the single most expensive remaining element needed to make the full 4.7-mile RGS River Trail continuous, running south from Rico to the Montezuma/Dolores county line.

Rico Trails Alliance project materials put it plainly: "The bridge will allow Rico's RGS River trail to connect all the way through." When it does, the RGS corridor will become what Colorado Parks & Wildlife describes as "the only non-motorized trail in this area with a gentle grade for trail users of all ages and abilities," opening the route to families, beginners, hand-cyclists, and mobility-limited visitors who cannot navigate steeper terrain elsewhere in the region.

That full connection has direct implications for Rico's Main Street. A continuous 4.7-mile corridor supporting year-round use, including Nordic skiing in winter and mountain biking through fall, gives local businesses a longer draw and an alternative to weather-dependent summer tourism. The highway detour that currently breaks the route also carries a safety cost: completing the bridge removes the only segment where trail users mix with motor vehicle traffic, and it gives emergency responders a continuous, gentle-grade corridor along the Dolores River.

CPW's review was not without scrutiny. Colorado Parks & Wildlife Southwest Region staff raised three concerns during design review: the bridge height potentially affecting recreational boats during spring runoff, the bridge width potentially affecting wildlife movements along the riverbank, and impacts to 38 wetland vegetation associated with construction. CPW's funding packet noted that Rico Trails Alliance "has minimized these potential impacts through design of the bridge and related trail."

The total project cost in CPW's grant table is $313,058, leaving roughly $63,000 beyond the $250,000 construction award to be covered through matching funds or other contributions. Rico Trails Alliance has described its engineering and permitting work as shovel-ready. Remaining steps include final contractor procurement, construction scheduling, and implementing environmental protections during the build. CPW and local partners signaled continued attention to bridge design details protecting both spring runoff boat passage and riparian habitats along the upper Dolores watershed.

The RGS Bridge award was one of 23 grants CPW recommended at the March meeting, part of a statewide Non-Motorized Trails package totaling $2,435,057.25.