One of the biggest missing links in Fort Collins’ trail network is finally beginning to look like….. a trail.
I stopped by the area of Harmony Road and McMurry Avenue to check on construction progress of the new Power Trail underpass and caught up virtually with City of Fort Collins Project Manager Dillon Willett for an update. I don’t know anything about anything, but they seem to be making some pretty solid progress. I’m sure the mild winter helped.
The tunnel beneath Harmony Road and the north-side ramp appear to be mostly complete. On the south side, the ramp has been cut in and retaining walls are under construction, but paving has yet to begin. The new trail connections to the existing Power Trail have not begun.
The project will eliminate the long-standing gap in the Power Trail between Golden Meadows Park and Keenland Drive, allowing trail users to avoid crossing busy Harmony Road at McMurry Avenue. The need for a safer crossing became especially apparent after longtime Fort Collins cyclist Jim DeFazio was killed there on Feb. 13, 2023.
According to Willett, crews have completed the northern portion of the underpass structure, repaved the westbound lanes of Harmony Road with the initial asphalt lifts, and are now constructing the south-side walls, stairs and stormwater pump station. About a mile of new trail, roughly one-third north of Harmony and two-thirds south, is currently being bid and is expected to be built alongside the underpass.
Willett expects Harmony Road to reopen to all six lanes by the end of August, with final paving and landscaping scheduled for September.
The biggest remaining challenge is an irrigation ditch north of Harmony Road. Construction in that area cannot begin until after Nov. 1 unless the ditch company grants earlier access.
The trail is expected to be open by early 2027.
The area remains an active construction zone and is not open to the public.
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