Long-Closed St. Vrain Greenway Section Near Left Hand Brewing Expected To Reopen In August

After more than a year-and-a-half of construction, Longmont officials said a long-closed section of the St. Vrain Greenway near Left Hand Brewing is expected to reopen in mid-August.

The closure is part of Reach 2 of the Izaak Walton flood mitigation project, which stretches between the Boston Avenue and Sunset Street bridges. For cyclists, runners, walkers and other Greenway users, the project has created one of the most significant gaps in Longmont's otherwise continuous east-west trail network.

For many residents, the closure has meant detouring around a section of trail that normally allows users to travel across much of the city with minimal interaction with vehicle traffic.

In response to questions from Thompsorado, the City of Longmont's Public Information Office provided answers from Senior Civil Engineer Erin Provo regarding the project's status.

According to Provo, Reach 2 remains on schedule and is expected to be completed in mid-August. The Greenway through the project area is also expected to reopen at that time, though a short-term closure later this fall may be necessary to complete landscaping work.

"The greenway will also open in mid-August," Provo said through the city's response. "There will be a short-term closure later in fall to complete the planting."

The city said the largest remaining tasks involve irrigation installation and landscaping. Crews are also working to complete the interior of the pump house and perform final grading along channel slopes where irrigation systems are being installed.

Despite the length of the closure, city officials said the project remains within its original schedule.

"When the project began in Spring of 2025, the expected timeline was 18 months," Provo said. "We are on track to finish within that timeline."

One factor affecting final completion is vegetation planting. Because late summer conditions are not ideal for establishing new plants, the city plans to delay much of that work until cooler weather arrives this fall. All other major construction activities are expected to be completed before then.

The Reach 2 project is part of Longmont's broader Resilient St. Vrain program, which was launched following the devastating 2013 flood. The work is intended to improve flood conveyance along the St. Vrain Creek corridor while restoring habitat and improving recreational access along the Greenway.

If the current schedule holds, Greenway users could once again travel continuously between Sunset Street and Boston Avenue by mid-August.

The reopening would restore a key missing link in Longmont's east-west trail network. And the system is still growing. Construction is currently underway on the St. Vrain Greenway's Phase 13 Eastern Extension, which will extend the trail from Sandstone Ranch to St. Vrain State Park and eventually connect to the Weld Legacy Trail east of Interstate 25.

For now, however, many Longmont cyclists, runners and walkers are simply looking forward to the return of a trail connection that has been closed for more than a year.