I am very, very pleased to let you all know that it is official - the Palisade wall and DSP&P grade from Sherrod Loop to the Alpine Tunnel will be restored for vehicular travel! I very recently learned that the project was awarded $550,000 from the GAOA (Great American Outdoors Act) to be paid in FY2023 & FY2024. Along with the $90,100 grant that has already been received from the State of Colorado OHV fund, this will cover almost the entire cost of the project. As a result, the SHF (State Historical Fund) grant application has been postponed until next year. This will allow those funds to be applied to any cost overruns the project may encounter.
The Gunnison National Forest, along with other relevant parties, are drawing up the detailed schedule for the work in terms of what exactly will get done each summer. I will share that detail when it is developed. But the current expectation is that the road could be open late summer 2024, or summer 2025 at the latest.
I want to again thank everyone who has contributed to this effort, whether that be by writing letters of support or just sending positive thoughts. Everything helps and I think it's pretty remarkable that we've secured funding of this scale for the project!
Justin Kerns
Aurora, CO
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