Orchard Avenue Complete Street Project

The City adopted a Complete Streets Policy in 2018 to develop a safe, efficient, and reliable travel network of streets, sidewalks, and urban trails throughout the community to equitably serve all users and modes of transportation. The policy establishes complete streets principles to encourage street design that enables safe use and mobility for people of all ages and abilities, whether they are traveling as pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, or drivers. It also sets context-sensitive design standards and approaches for all construction and reconstruction of the city’s transportation system.

Orchard Avenue is a key transportation corridor linking the Clifton commercial area to 1st Street in Grand Junction. Within a 1/4 mile of the corridor are large schools, health and human services, and a hospital. Central High School, Grand Junction High School, Colorado Mesa University, Mesa County’s Department of Health and Human Services along with Nisley, Orchard Ave, Tope Elementaries, and West Middle School are all large community destinations. As a lower-speed collector, the street is also a backbone corridor to the community’s active transportation network.

The City installed bike lanes between 7th and 12th Streets approximately seven years ago as part of a joint project with Colorado Mesa University. More recently, bike lanes were completed between 28 Road and 29 Road with the reconstruction of Orchard Avenue between Normandy Road and 29 Road. Mesa County is currently working on the design of the reconstruction of Orchard Ave between 29 1/2 Road and 31 1/2 Road that will provide multi-modal facilities for that reach. 

The remaining gaps within the City are between 1st Street and 7th Street and between 12th Street and 28 Road. City staff has received requests for bike lanes on Orchard Avenue between 12th Street and 28 Road. This section currently has on-street parking that staff is exploring a proposal to convert to buffered bike lanes with restriping the corridor.