Midland Streetscape Project Update August 23, 2024

Zone 2 North Side Completed

Midland Avenue between Heirlooms and The Art Base is looking fantastic. If you haven’t been to downtown Basalt lately, please come check it out. The sidewalks are wider and ADA accessible, new crosswalks have been added, the stormwater system is installed and the parallel parking is in place. 

From now through the fall, the final touches will be installed including landscaping, site furnishings, lighting, and historic markers and elements.

We are so grateful for the entire community for your patience with this project and for continuing to visit our downtown businesses.

If you’ve never checked out our fact sheet on this phase of the project construction, you can read it here.

Multi-Modal Transportation on Midland

A significant feature of the Midland Streetscape is that it embraces and caters to multi-modal transportation options. The new crosswalks are a different color and surface than the sidewalks and roads to make them visible to drivers and safer to use for pedestrians. The traffic lanes are wider than they were prior to the project start, allowing more room for cars to share the roadway with bicyclists and expanding the lanes to more easily accommodate large vehicles, trucks, and boats.

The general design also facilitates slower traffic speeds, which contributes to the overall safety of historic Basalt. 

The project includes the addition of more than 20 new bicycle racks and two new WE-cycle stations.

The Town of Basalt is proud to support Basalt Connect and WE-cycle to encourage our community members to reduce their emissions and support our climate goals and have fun while commuting around Basalt and the Valley with alternative transit.

We see ridership continue to grow for both services, which are free and even though Basalt is the smallest community in the Valley, our ridership on WE-cycle is similar to larger neighboring communities. With WE-cycle, Mid-Valley riders offset 8,500 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions in July.

More Room for Art in the HeART of Downtown Basalt

The new Midland Streetscape was designed to accommodate public art to add to the vitality and creativity downtown. This summer two new sculptures have made their debuts downtown. Elk Hair Caddis Fly and Enlightened Seeker.

The Basalt Public Arts Commission is currently working on a 5-year Capital Arts Improvement Plan that will be completed by the end of the year and includes a goal to bring more art to all of Basalt.

Zone 2 South Side Information

The construction crews are now installing multiple conduits on the south side of the street for electric and communications infrastructure. Over the next few weeks they will be re-grading the street, widening the sidewalks, installing brick and preparing the surface for the installation of lights and landscaping.

Once the area between Alpine Bank and the Iron Horse building is completed, the crews will return to the north side of the street to begin Zone 3 of the Midland Project work.

Now that school is back in session, please park on Two Rivers Road, Midland Avenue outside of the work zone, and Midland Spur. Please remember, there is one lane of traffic while construction work is ongoing with flaggers during the day and traffic signals at night.

Basalt Sunday Market on Midland Spur

The return of the Basalt Sunday Market to the newly designed Spur this year has experienced benefits of the improvements to the street. An enlarged Midland Spur and electrical outlets at the base of each light pole are available to vendors. The new space has allowed the number of vendors to double over past years. 

The market runs through Sunday, September 29 and operates from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. More information here. You can find produce, meats, sauces, jams, clothes, pizza, jewelry, art, and more.

Midland Money Expires October 31

Willits Lane Community Feedback Opportunity

Based on a first round of public input, our design team at Alta Planning + Design has brought back two conceptual design options for an improved and more connected Willits Lane. Your input will help guide a coordinated and community-oriented effort to elevate pedestrian, bike, and alternative modes of travel throughout Basalt and improve comfort and safety of pedestrian-bike-vehicular interactions.

Visit the site page and take a survey.

Basalt Free Concerts

Final Shows of the Summer

We have had a vibrant season of concerts at Triangle Park in Willits and at Basalt River Park in historic downtown Basalt. The crowds have been amazing and the music sensational. We have a few shows left and we hope to see you send summer off with joy and welcome fall.

Sign Up for Construction Updates

Please sign up for construction newsletter updates, which are sent weekly to keep you informed on construction impacts week by week in Phase 2 of the project.