State RISE grant revived; Bluff officials told $12M will pay trail design, study feasibility

At a Feb. 19 joint work session, a town council member reported that a state RISE grant has been revived with $12,000,000 earmarked for trail design between Montezuma Creek and Monument Valley and a feasibility study for a potential Moab-to-Bluff connection.

"This is the grant from the state, to support design of a trail that would go from Montezuma Creek to Monument Valley... They got $12,000,000, $12,000,000 to design that trail," said Speaker 8 during the council-priorities overview.

Council and commission members said the project, if implemented, would have significant impacts in Bluff — from how the trail passes through town to related parking and street-use issues. Planning and Zoning members flagged possible land-use intersections such as on-street parking, access points and how to integrate active-transportation features into local plans.

Staff cautioned that a design and feasibility study does not equate to immediate construction. Speakers stressed the need for early coordination with planning and zoning to identify potential conflicts with town ordinances, property-ownership issues and state mapping exercises.

Town staff indicated they have reached out to state partners (including SIRDA) about map digitizing and overlay options that could make it easier for the town to manage trail routing and related land-use decisions. The meeting did not record a formal commitment, funding allocation from the town or specific timeline for construction.

Next steps: staff will continue outreach with the state and stakeholders; planning and zoning and council members reiterated they want to be involved as the grant’s feasibility work proceeds.