I have some great news and some not-so-awesome news.
First, the great news: two years after CDOT replaced the Kechter bridge over I25, the City of Fort Collins has repaved, widened, and added bike lanes to both sides of the road West of I25.
The bummer news is that just as work was slated to start, it was determined that the south side of Kecther Road, east of the new roundabout, is owned by CDOT. The north side was annexed into Timnath in February of this year, 2024. Unfortunately, the 125′ section of road east of the new bridge that has no shoulder (see photo) will require CDOT and Timnath to combine maintenance efforts. Rest assured, I have already started sending emails to the proper people. Stay tuned.
Jennifer Hopkins Brooks advocated for well over a year for the addition of a wider shoulder on westbound Kechter Road, uphill and west of I25. She also worked to add bike signage to the area. The signs were added in 2015 and the shoulder in 2016. Sadly, Steve Studt was killed by a driver while riding up the east side of the bridge in June of 2015. Eventually, this will be a safe route for cyclists to enter and exit Fort Collins.
The road is named after George and Louise Kechter, who were long-time residents of Fort Collins and owned a 286-acre farm in the area of Ziegler and Trilby
Roads. The proper pronunciation of Kechter Road is “keck-ter.”
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