On Monday, August 5, the Town of Frisco’s construction contractor began replacing the sidewalk on the west side of Highway 9 between School Road/CR1040 and Hawn Drive, as well as constructing a new 10’ wide shared multiuse pathway adjacent to Highway 9 from Hawn Drive to the main entrance into Walmart, where there is not currently a sidewalk. Both projects are part of implementing the Town of Frisco’s ongoing efforts to improve sidewalk and multiuse pathway connections year-round.

Many of these improvements were first identified in the 2017 Trails Master Plan and the 2023 update to this plan. Sidewalks, which are typically five to six feet in width, and multiuse pathways, which are typically 10 feet or more in width, are critical components of the recreational opportunities available in and around Frisco. They are also a significant part of Frisco’s transportation infrastructure, as good sidewalk and pathway connections make it more comfortable and convenient for bicyclists and pedestrians to move through and around Frisco.

Project Details

• School Road/CR 1040 to Hawn Drive– The pathway project on the west side of Highway 9 between School Road/CR 1040 and Hawn Drive will replace the existing sidewalk, which is challenging to keep cleared of snow throughout the winter due to its construction directly adjacent to Highway 9 many years prior. This project will replace that sidewalk with a new multiuse pathway that is separated from Highway 9 by the construction of a new retaining wall which will serve to detach and separate the pathway from the highway, improving safety and year-round accessibility. The pathway will also be 10 feet in width, allowing for multimodal uses.
• New pathway in front of Walmart on Highway 9- A new 10-foot-wide multiuse pathway will be added north of Hawn Drive to the main Walmart entrance.  There is not currently a sidewalk or pathway in this area.

Construction Timeline

Construction began on both projects on August 5 and is anticipated to be completed in early October.

Traffic and Pedestrian Impacts

Vehicular Traffic Impacts– No road closures or detours are expected, but delays are anticipated at times due to intermittent lane closures primarily from August 5-19. Also, the right turn lanes near Hawn Drive will be closed for the duration of the project, as well as the right turn lane out of the Walmart main entrance. 

Pedestrian Traffic Impacts- The lower sidewalk between Hawn Drive and School Road/CR 1040 will be closed during the project. Pedestrians will be detoured to the east side of Highway 9 or the upper multiuse pathway adjacent to Gold Dust Drive, which is just above and runs parallel with the current sidewalk.

Partners

• The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) provided an approximately $500,000 multimodal transportation and mitigation options fund (MMOF) grant, which partially funds these projects.
• Walmart also granted a small easement on their property to make possible the construction of this multiuse pathway.

Future Plans

Future pathway construction will include the creation of a multiuse pathway from the main entrance into Walmart on Highway 9 to Lusher Court. This connection along the west side of Highway 9 will be coordinated with the CDOT Exit 203 project, which will reconstruct the intersections and pathways adjacent to Lusher Court.

The Town is waiting until the CDOT Exit 203 design is complete to design this final pathway connection to create a continuous pathway on the west side of Summit Boulevard. Coordinating with the CDOT project will ensure that the pathway is compatible with the Exit 203 project. This pathway project is budgeted for construction in 2028, which corresponds with the anticipated completion of the Exit 203 project.

Questions

Any questions related to the current pathway construction may be directed to Town of Frisco Public Works Director/Town Engineer, Chris McGinnis, at ChrisM@townoffrisco.com or by calling the main Public Works phone line at 970-668-0836.