Week of February 10, 2022
$1.00
An edition of the Littleton Independent A publication of
VOLUME 21 | ISSUE 12
Big spending slated for High Line Canal Arapahoe County joins others in pledging $130 million over 15 years BY ROBERT TANN RTANN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Over the next 15 years, Arapahoe County will join with neighboring counties, government agencies and
a nonprofit to invest $130 million into conservation and accessibility projects for the High Line Canal, a more than 140-year-old human-made irrigation waterway that has now become a popular recreation trail. With the creation of a new partnership in late January, known as the High Line Canal Collaborative, local governments and organizations hope to improve the waterway and accompanying trail that serves communities across the metro
region. The canal begins in southwest Douglas County and stretches 71 miles to Aurora, winding through Douglas, Arapahoe, Adams and Denver counties. According to its website, the canal is one of the longest continuous urban trails in the U.S. “It’s an amazing amenity that’s used by hundreds of thousands of people a year,” said Arapahoe County Commissioner Nancy Sharpe. “There were a lot of conversations
about not only how do we provide access to the canal but how do we preserve it for the future.” Since 2014, the four counties, along with the Mile High Flood District, High Line Canal Conservancy and Denver Water, which owns the canal, have invested a combined total of over $32 million into preservation and improvement efforts. SEE SPENDING, P13
Arapahoe Road construction near University begins Cherry Creek ends mask mandates Work could last 18
months, other road projects are also in motion
District still encourages students and staff to wear them
BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
A spot just outside of a major intersection in the south metro area will undergo construction work over the next year and a half to replace an aging part of Arapahoe Road that runs above Big Dry Creek. Just east of University Boulevard in west Centennial, that bridge over the creek is “well past its prime,” a summary of the project on the City of Centennial’s website says. The bridge deck is cracking, the concrete on the deck underside is crumbling and steel beams are starting to show wear, according to the summary. The bridge over the creek was originally constructed in 1945 and “is past its useful life,” the city’s website says. “For its age, this bridge is in pretty good shape,” said Allison Wittern, city spokesperson. She added: “However, it does not convey creek flows sufficiently and could be
BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Traffic on Feb. 7 passes over the bridge at Big Dry Creek, a part of Arapahoe Road that PHOTO BY ELLIS ARNOLD is set to be replaced in west Centennial.
flooded in a major storm. The new bridge is designed to convey those flows.” The construction project will replace the existing bridge with a wider and taller structure, improve pedestrian access over and around the bridge, and make improvements
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | CALENDAR: PAGE 17 | SPORTS: PAGE 20
to the Big Dry Creek drainage and waterway system, according to a news release. Here’s more information on the Arapahoe Road project and about other work on major roads in the SEE PROJECTS, P10
On the heels of Tri-County Health Department moving to let the mask mandates for schools and public indoor places in Adams and Arapahoe counties expire on Feb. 5, the Cherry Creek School District announced it would not enforce a mandate at the district level. As of Feb. 7, masks are “strongly encouraged” but not required for students and staff, a letter to the community from Superintendent Christopher Smith said. “We realize that for some members of the community this decision about masks is disappointing and for other community members it is a welcomed message,” Smith wrote. “As we have stated from the beginning, we continue to follow the SEE MASKS, P9
WORKING TOGETHER
Couples dish on working together in life and business.
P12