Oklahoma Flats Trail | Roaring Fork Engineering

All Categories, Civil

Oklahoma Flats Trail

We provided reconstruction of a steep, non-compliant multi-use trail through a constrained residential corridor. We regraded, extended, and rebuilt to function safely year-round. The trail was realigned from 20% grade to 1%, formatted to CFOT specifications, value engineered to meet city budgeting, and aesthetically integrated into the surrounding environment with a sculpted uphill soil wall.

A trail that doesn’t work in winter isn’t really a trail. The Oklahoma Flats multi-use path in Aspen was built too steeply, without proper railings or safe surfaces for year-round use. Hired by the City of Aspen Parks Department, Roaring Fork Engineering redesigned and rebuilt the trail to meet current standards — functional, accessible, and safe for pedestrians and cyclists in every season.

Challenges & highlights

The existing trail grade was simply too aggressive. Reducing it while keeping the same endpoints required one solution: make the trail longer. By extending the path and introducing gradual alignment changes, RFE brought the grade into compliance without altering the trail’s origin or destination. Retaining walls were designed and constructed to support the widened trail corridor within the limited right-of-way.

The trail corridor runs through a tight residential area, requiring careful coordination with adjacent property owners. RFE worked directly with homeowners along the alignment to understand their concerns, minimize construction impacts, and ensure the work was done with appropriate consideration for their properties. Securing the correct construction easements and permanent trail easements across private parcels was a critical component of the project. Without the proper legal framework in place, the work couldn’t proceed.

The results

Oklahoma Flats is now a functional multi-use trail that works in all seasons. The grade is compliant, the surfaces are appropriate for year-round use, and the retaining walls provide the stability the corridor requires. What had been a genuinely hazardous route in winter conditions is now one that residents and visitors can rely on.

The project reflects RFE’s ability to solve practical public infrastructure problems in constrained environments, where the technical work, the stakeholder relationships, and the permitting all have to come together for the project to succeed.

Elevation: 7,908

Location: Aspen, CO

• Realignment of trail from 20% to 12% grade
• Sculpted uphill soil wall for aesthetic integration
• CDOT formatted specifications
• Value engineering process to meet City’s budget

Build infrastructure that holds up

If your municipality is planning roadway improvements, utility expansions, or system upgrades, we are ready to support your team.