Mayor Jonathan Godes, Charlie Willman and Paula Stepp voted against the motion, which passed 4-3.
That brings the total estimated cost to $56 million, but the other design option that would remove a portion of the runway on the southern end isn’t off the table completely.
A motion to analyze the second option by conducting an airspace study and track the number of flights over the course of several months was also approved during Thursday’s meeting with Councilor Tony Hershey being the lone opposing vote.
The decision to go through with the tunnel option depends on whether the city can secure funding from other sources.
After spending most of the morning trying to seal a ruptured gas line at the intersection of Midland Avenue and Mount Sopris Drive, crews have successfully resolved the issue and traffic is now slowly starting to pick up, the city said.
The area opened to traffic around 1 p.m.
Glenwood Springs Fire Chief Gary Tillotson said it was likely that the break, identified around 9:30 a.m. Thursday, was caused by a construction worker accidentally nicking the line with equipment. Contractors under Black Hills Energy were at time performing excavation procedures in relation to the installation of new, high-pressure gas line, Tillotson said.
A view of the proposed location for the South Bridge project at Glenwood Springs Airport. Shannon Marvel / Post Independent
No one dismisses the need for the South Bridge Project, but where to construct the alternative route is a subject of debate in Glenwood Springs.
The Glenwood Springs City Council will vote on whether to go with the first option for the project route, which would bore underneath the runway at the municipal airport. That route would begin at Midland Avenue and Four Mile Road, where it would follow Airport Road before tunneling below the airport’s runway. The South Bridge would then cross the Roaring Fork River before connecting to Colorado Highway 82.
A presentation outlining the cost-benefit model for the South Bridge project in Glenwood Springs will be presented to the public at a special City Council meeting at 5 p.m. on Thursday.
Post Independent correspondent
A handful of Glenwood Springs residents asking the city to erect a security fence near their property will likely have to look elsewhere for help.
Glenwood Springs City Council on Thursday denied a proposal asking that two private fence replacements be included in existing public projects, at partial or total cost to the city.
First, two Hagar Lane residents asked the city to consider building a 300-foot-long fence on the east side of a planned sidewalk near their subdivision off of Midland Avenue. Pedestrians regularly cross through their yards for access to the Atkinson Trail and Roaring Fork River, they said, causing security concerns.