“I do think we are very close to finding a preferred route.””

Jonathan Cain

BIG SPRINGS — One of Nederland’s biggest neighborhoods and youngest of subdivisions, Big Springs, is the sprawling network of steep and winding roads which intertwine through the densely wooded hills northwest of town, stretching across the Barker Reservoir and up to the trails of Magnolia.

The area has become a destination for those wanting to establish their foothold in the mountains, and in some ways a siren’s call for those looking to escape the city, as the realization of isolation for Big Springs residents becomes all the more apparent in the face of extreme weather conditions. 

And as the reality of these conditions often makes it more difficult and costly for residents to insure their homes, it is all exacerbated by the neighborhood’s lack of a proper emergency egress road. The Town of Nederland has struggled to develop one for more than two decades. 

But 2026 might be the year that an official design gets approved. The Town is homing in on designs; funding is wrapping up; and a tentative meeting with the community is planned for April to discuss possible solutions.

From 9 to 2

Over the years, more than nine different routes have been assessed, discussed, and reviewed. All were found insufficient, either due to geography and environmental factors, such as concerns over fire behavior, or private property ownership.  

On June 1, 2022, the Nederland Board of Trustees (BOT) voted 4-1 to apply for Congressional Designated Spending made available through a Legislative Pre-Disaster Mitigation grant. The funding is overseen by the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Three potential emergency egress routes had been partially developed and discussed by the BOT at that time. The progress on the Wildewood, Doe Trail, and Ridgeline routes were expected to meet the 60% completion requirement to be eligible for the FEMA funds.

However Trustees decided not to pursue funds for construction and instead voted to apply for $524,793 in grant funds to be used for more “scope of work.”

JVA, Nederland’s contracted engineering firm, has been principal consultant on the Big Spring’s project since 2016. The firm and Town staff were tasked with locating new route options and investigating the potential of working with Boulder County and Homeland Security to construct an egress route across the Barker Dam. 

The BOT agreed to the terms and conditions of the grant on October 18, 2022, and, during a budgetary discussion in October of 2024, allocated $146,000 as a match for the FEMA grant. At the time, trustees stated the Big Springs Emergency Egress project would be a top priority for 2025. 

In August of 2024, a collaborate group walked through the woods of Big Springs to professionally assess three new routes.  It included town staff, Boulder County rangers, and members of the BOT, JVA, the Nederland Fire Protection District (NFPD), the Planning Commission, the Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Advisory Board, and the Nederland Downtown Development Authority.

JVA assessed whether each route—named East Route 1, East Route 2, and the Boulder Canyon Route—would be able to accommodate the construction of a 12-foot-wide gravel surface with a two-foot shoulder on either side and a maximum longitudinal slope of 12%, which would also include pull-outs for fire engines every 400 feet and provide a 30-foot minimum turning radius.

All three routes were rated based on safety, feasibility, projected cost, and impact on the wetland and riparian environments, as well as to the local wildlife and residents. 

The first official action by the BOT in 2025 regarding the egress route took place on May 20, when Trustees voted to approve Resolution 2025-10, amending the Professional Services Agreement with JVA regarding engineering work for the project.

The agreement was extended through to December 31, 2025, as the original agreement expired on that same day of last year. 

Concerns abound

On July 15, the BOT met for a Work Session led by Town Manager Jonathan Cain, Project Manager Nathan Skalak of JVA, and Chief Charlie Schmidtmann of the NFPD to present to the public for review two proposed routes.

One would travel uphill to connect with Magnolia Road; the other would travel downhill toward the other side of the Barker Dam.

This second proposed route, named the Boulder Canyon Route, became the focus of the discussion as it was designed to lead an evacuation across Middle Boulder Creek to connect to Boulder Canyon Drive. Yet the design stopped abruptly at the creek.

Chief Schmidtmann believed the Boulder Canyon route was less dangerous during a wildfire evacuation due to it leading downhill into a well-maintained state highway, and that it would provide proximity to district fire stations which would allow the NFPD to respond to emergencies in Big Springs faster. 

Residents were concerned about the potential ecological impacts of the construction, including the “visual scarring” it would present to those living across from the proposed egress route. Many also questioned whether the property on the other side of Middle Boulder Creek required to finish the connection of the proposed egress route to the highway was privately owned, and if that could cause issues to the project’s progression. 

Skalak noted at that time JVA could only design the egress up to the creek because an access road on the other side is owned by Boulder County, as is an existing bridge that crosses the creek. Discussions with the City of Boulder, Boulder County, and nearby residents had yet to occur regarding permission to complete the route on their land. 

Various approvals are still required in order to legitimize further planning on the Boulder Canyon Route, including from Boulder County and the U.S. Forest Service. Skalak stated a final design could be completed within six to nine months. 

Visual representation of the routes were made available over the next two weeks at the Nederland Community Center. By August 5, preliminary conversations with the City and County of Boulder had begun, and a request from FEMA for a deadline extension regarding the final project design had been submitted.  

Cain also stated the Town’s intention to curate resident’s questions and concerns about transparency, project specifics, stakeholder engagement, and the need for increased emergency preparedness. We need a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document to be published on Nederland’s municipal website, he said. 

During the public comment period of that meeting in August, representatives of properties on the east side of Barker Dam spoke about the proposed Boulder Canyon Route, directly opposing any use of their property for the route, and expressing confusion as to why neither JVA nor the Town had bothered to contact them before publishing a route that shows the proposed use of their property.

Cain and Skalak reiterated that the route is being planned to move further east before crossing Middle Boulder Creek over a new bridge to be constructed, which would connect to the aforementioned County-owned access road.

However, the property owner responded by proclaiming that there is no way to connect to the highway without crossing through their land.   

Shovel ready?

Regardless, the BOT and Town staff ended the discussion with an agreement to direct JVA to fully design both the Magnolia and Boulder Canyon routes and get them to “shovel ready.” 

The BOT would receive periodic updates regarding the Big Springs Emergency Egress project, including during a Quarterly Grants presentation provided by Cain on December 16, the last meeting of 2025.  

“Over the past year, staff and JVA have worked to refine potential egress route alternatives using updated LIDAR data and input from Nederland Fire and other community stakeholders,” the Agenda Information Memorandum from Cain reads. 

“JVA has advanced several options to a conceptual design level. The next step will be a community meeting to present the two most feasible routes and summarize the planning process to date. Staff anticipates holding this meeting in April.

“I do think we are very close to finding a preferred route,” Cain said. “We had a meeting today with Ned Fire and looked at a route that we have been exploring that does get to Boulder Canyon and currently stays on canyon property.

“We’re working on the conceptual design of that right now. The next thing we need to do is bring that forward to you, and the last step for that would be JVA advancing that design to shovel-ready.”

Cain closed by saying that the FEMA grant would be closed in 2026, with the terms expected to be met. 

“We’ll have planning completed and we will be ready to start looking for capital funding.”