State awards planning contract for 61-mile Bluff-area trail; planning stage to last about a year

Town staff reported that the active-transportation working group learned the state has issued an RFP and awarded the planning-phase contract for a trail network linking Montezuma Creek, Bluff and Monument Valley. The planning scope covers multiple corridors (Bluff–Montezuma, Bluff–Monument Valley, and planning work toward Bluff–Spanish Valley toward Moab) and will focus on stakeholder engagement, municipal coordination and corridor planning rather than immediate construction. Staff named Kimber as the team awarded the planning contract and said the planning phase will take about a year.

Commissioners clarified the distinction between planning (stakeholder coordination and route development) and design (producing shovel-ready construction documents) and said the trail is expected to be off-road given traffic speeds on state highways. Staff indicated the state has been responsive to the town’s request to extend the wildland-urban interface where relevant and that additional project updates will be provided as plans advance.