STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, COLORADO-The Soda Creek Pedestrian Bridge, a key link on the Yampa River Core Trail in the downtown area, is slated for refurbishment in mid-September and will close to all traffic during the project. 

“As you can imagine outdoor features like these bridges take a beating from dramatic changes in weather, hot dry temperatures as we’ve seen to months of snow and below freezing conditions,” said Parks, Open Space & Trails Manager Craig Robinson. “That’s why this project is vital to ensuring the structure remains in a safe and structurally sound condition.”

The city has contracted with Sloop Painting to complete the upcoming roughly $50,000 decking and painting project. The bridge crosses Soda Creek and is located between Little Toots Park and the Bud Werner Library along the Core Trail. Sloop Painting is no stranger to this type of project as they did the work on the Fish Creek Bridge a year ago.

Currently, the decking is rough, splitting, and in need of repair and will be completely replaced. The bridge will also be painted as the current paint has deteriorated over time. Overnight temperatures and dew point will be an important factor in how quickly the bridge will be able to be painted.

Detour Information: A detour will be set up so that Core Trail users can bypass the closed area by using 12thStreet to Lincoln Ave to 13th Street and vice versa. In addition, the small bridge that connects Little Toots with the library, just north of the Core Trail, will remain open. Please slow down when traveling through these areas and follow all rules of the road.

Sloop Painting plans to begin work on the morning of Monday, September 14, and the project is expected to take four weeks. During this time the bridge will be closed to the public and a detour will be required to travel around the bridge.