The vision of creating a pedestrian corridor on the west side of El Paso County is getttiong a major addition. Work on an important section of the Ute Pass Regional Trail is receiving a multimillion-dollar investment."Love the f act that we've got trails here," said Green Mountain Falls resident Wes Ritner."There are sections where there is no trail, so you're either running on the highway or you are making your own trail," Ritner said.A major segment goes in this summer, connecting the canyon communities of Green Mountain Falls, Chipita Park and Cascade."They [regional trails] act as spines. We want them to be regional trails that connect communities and neighborhoods together," said Jason Meyer, El Paso County Parks interim executive director. Balancing the terrain, private property and public right of way has been part of the challenge."The art scene and the activities has really shown people how cool this area is and I'm hoping it will maintain its uniqueness while other people continue to come and see it and invest in it," Heather Ritner said.The funding for this segment comes from two sources."CDOT is paying $2.4 million and El Paso County Parks is paying roughly over $600,000," Meyer said.The trail has been coming together, segment by segment, for over 20 years. More than 11 miles of trail started in 2003. In 2006, the next segment linked the trail to Teller County. Those first two trails were linked by a third segment in 2008. Then a portion of the trail to the south, following the historic route of the Ute Tribe out of Manitou Springs, was completed in 2013. Now, in 2026, a mile-and-a-half section completes all but the connection to the Manitou Springs trail.It leaves a remaining mile and half gap between the new trail and the Manitou Springs trail. "A very challenging section," Meyer said.Part of the Ute Pass Trail is off-road down by the stream or up on hillsides. This new segment is paved and right next to the road, extending from where the existing trail ends in Chipita Park."Connect the local neighborhoods with safe pedestrian accommodations which currently don't exist," Meyer said."I see a lot of value in it, not only for the residents, but the people in the region," Wes Ritner said.Early work began in February with planning and clearing brush. The major effort of cutting trail and paving will happen through the summer months."This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy."_______Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching. ...read more read less