Mill Street is a 4-lane major collector roadway within downtown Aspen that provides access to Main Street, the Public Library, the City’s Rio Grande events park, and provides the main connection with large residential areas north of town.  Traffic volumes along the corridor did not require the existing 4-lane configuration, providing opportunities to utilize the existing roadway width to accommodate other modes of transportation and streetscaping elements.

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Complete Street & Multimodal Improvements

The goals of the project were to:  improve safety and comfort for pedestrians and cyclists, improve the function and safety of pedestrian crossings along the corridor, integrate bicycles into the right-of-way, improve mobility, and enhance Aspen’s character as a bicycle and pedestrian-friendly community.  As a Complete Street, the City wanted to create a corridor that was safe, functional, comfortable, and enjoyable for pedestrians, cars, and vehicles alike, and enhance the community’s access to the City’s network of trails via connectivity through and beyond the project area.

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Corridor Analysis & Conceptual Design

With direction from the City Council and the Civic Master Plan, the City of Aspen commissioned a conceptual design study to develop and determine the feasibility and implementation of pedestrian crossings, streetscape improvements, shared bicycle lanes, and traffic calming in the Mill Street Corridor.

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These goals were referenced throughout the conceptual design phase to continually focus discussions and solutions on the project’s purpose and need.

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The conceptual design study provided an overview of the study process, including the traffic corridor analysis, development, and screening of corridor improvement alternatives, and recommendations for Complete Street design solutions to be used in the preliminary and final design of the Mill Street Corridor.