With the summer cycling season heating up for 2026, I wanted to give you the best “to the best of my knowledge” update I can on the BERT — the Boulder to Erie Regional Trail. As someone who spends way too much time thinking about safe, car-free miles between Erie and Boulder (and who hears from customers every week asking when we’re finally going to get a real connector), this one matters.
Where Things Stand Right Now
Back in late October 2024, the Boulder County Commissioners gave the green light to the BERT Plan and locked in Preferred Alignment 1B. That’s the one that mostly sticks to the old rail corridor — the one that used to belong to Union Pacific and then RTD. We’re talking roughly 8.5 miles of multi-use path running from the edge of Boulder (near 61st and Valmont-ish) all the way out to County Line Road in Erie.
The big shift since then? We’ve moved out of pure planning and into preliminary and final design. County staff are knee-deep in environmental surveys, geotech work, drainage studies, and refining the exact line so they can get it shovel-ready. They’re breaking the whole thing into four segments so it can be built in phases as money comes in instead of waiting for one giant pot. Design target is sometime in 2028, with a possible construction start in 2029 if the funding stars align.
It’s still very much a “rail-with-trail” setup — the trail can live alongside the corridor without killing any future rail option (though nobody’s seriously talking about putting trains back on it right now). The plan calls for a proper underpass at US 287 instead of another sketchy at-grade crossing, which is huge for safety.
The Funding Reality Check
Let’s be real — this is where it gets tricky. The project isn’t fully funded. We’ve got some local sales tax money already in the mix, and there was a nice $515k federal grant that dropped recently to keep the engineering and pre-construction work moving. The county is asking for another $1.6 million in 2027 to stay on that 2029 timeline.
The bigger picture is that Boulder County is staring at a pretty massive funding gap across a couple of big regional trail projects (BERT plus the North Foothills thing). We’re talking over $120 million more needed in total from federal, state, and local sources. Costs keep creeping up like they always do on these things. The commissioners seem committed to pushing design forward aggressively so the project is ready to go the second real construction dollars show up, but we’re not there yet.
That said, the momentum feels different now that the plan is actually adopted. It’s no longer “if” — it’s “when and how we pay for it.”
What This Could Mean for Riders
If (when) this thing gets built, it’s going to be a legit game-changer for us out here in Erie and the east county. No more white-knuckling it on roads like Valmont or Lookout to get to Boulder. We’re talking smooth, relatively flat rail-trail miles that are perfect for:
• Base-building days when you just want to turn the pedals without traffic stress
• Family rides and e-bike cruisers (this thing should be very friendly for all ages and abilities)
• Commuters who want a real alternative to driving into Boulder
• Linking up with the existing Coal Creek Trail, Boulder’s path network, and whatever else is already rolling out there
It won’t replace your favorite gravel grinders or singletrack missions, but it’ll give a lot of people — especially newer riders, families, and anyone who wants predictable, safe miles — a really solid option. And from the shop’s perspective, anything that makes it easier and safer for more people to ride between Erie and Boulder is good for all of us.
Next Steps This Summer and Beyond
Boulder County folks are planning to start reaching out to adjacent landowners this summer. There’ll also be public meetings during the preliminary design phase — the first one hasn’t been scheduled yet, but keep an eye on the Boulder County site. They’ve got a Technical Advisory Committee with reps from Erie, Boulder, CDOT, RTD, and others keeping things grounded.
I’ll keep watching this one closely and update you as new info drops — especially once those public meetings get calendared or if any big funding announcements hit.
In the meantime, if you’ve got strong feelings about it (good or bad), the best thing you can do is show up when the meetings happen or drop a comment on the county’s BERT page. These projects move faster when the cycling community actually shows up and speaks up.
Ride safe out there this summer. Whether you’re hammering gravel, cruising the trainer, or just logging base miles, every pedal stroke counts. I’ll catch you on the next group ride or in the shop — and I’ll keep you posted on BERT as soon as there’s something new worth sharing.
