BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. Last month, Boulder County officials approved a plan for the construction of a new pedestrian path, stretching from the City of Boulder to the Town of Erie. The Boulder to Erie Regional Trail, or B.E.R.T., will be the newest addition to Boulder County's Regional Trail Program. The project is estimated to stretch 8.5 miles and cost about $30 million to construct. The Boulder County Regional Trails program is an effort to plan, design, and construct a network of largely soft-surface multi-use trails that connect communities within Boulder County. "The goal of the B.E.R.T., Boulder to Erie Regional Trail Plan, was to find a reasonably implementable, safe, multi-purpose route that would have the least amount of impact on ecological cultural resources, as well as on adjacent properties," said Boulder Regional Trails Planner Tonya Luebbert. The director of Parks and Recreation for the Town of Erie, Luke Bolinger, said he looks forward to the opportunities this trail will afford residents, especially commuters in Erie. "Erie is very much a bedroom community, and we have a lot of people going out of area in the mornings and coming into Erie at night," he said.A lot of people commute to major employment centers, like in Boulder, he said. "This would be an awesome commuter trail, because then I don't have to get on the road. I can go from my front porch all the way to my front office door," Bolinger said.This is the chosen alignment for the new trail: Boulder County decided on this alignment for its "safety, user experience, and minimal impact on adjacent properties," according to the B.E.R.T. Plan. Much of this alignment will be placed inside of an existing, unused RTD railbed. Now, officials will find funding for a detailed design that is expected to be completed in 2025. Public feedback opportunities will be available once the design plan is completed. You can stay up-to-date at the Boulder-to-Erie Regional Trail website.