Here’s What the New Street Signs Around Grand Junction Are For

Enter your number to get our free mobile app

Have you spotted the little street signs showing up all over Grand Junction? They display a picture of a bicycle along with a particular color. What are they for?

I first spotted these in the downtown areas of Grand Junction. They're essentially street signs mounted to stoplight posts or light posts.

This may be an example of one of the rare good things to come out of 2020. Last year, the City of Grand Junction, along with the Urban Trails Committee, installed 300 "wayfinding" signs to help direct bicyclists around the valley.

According to gjcity.org, this project was funded by a CDOT grant in the amount of $50,000, a grant of $10,000 from the Horizon Drive Business Improvement District, and a $5,000 match from the city. Put it all together, and you have a project cost of $65,000.

Check out the image above. It indicates the "purple" route. This image was captured at the intersection of 1st Street and West Main. If you were to follow the Purple Route westward, you would eventually connect with the Red Route, or you could simply continue to the Monument Connector Trail. Some parts of these routes are roadways, others are paths.

To try and explain it would be extremely confusing. So, fortunately, a detailed map is available from the City. Keep in mind, these routes run from west of 20 Road clear out to the Grand Valley Transit Hub towards the east end of the I-70 Business Loop.

After studying the map, it appears to me these routes represent some very bike-friendly corridors through the valley. Routes can be found in every color of the rainbow: the Green Route, Gold Route, Pink Route, Maroon Route, Purple Route, and what may be the lengthiest, the Blue Route.

Considering today's high temperature is expected to be in the upper 30's, I don't believe I'll try these out today. My car has a heater. But, as soon as things warm up a bit, I'm looking forward to taking a spin. Please check out the City's map, and give these routes a try.