"32 ½ has always been an old farm to market road where it's just two lanes of asphalt with gravel shoulders," Mesa County Engineering Director Laura Page said when the first phase of work on the road wrapped up last November.
That description fit the north end of the road until five days ago. On October 5, Mesa County closed 32 ½ Road between E Road and E ½ Road, and the county says the detour will stay up until summer 2027. If you drive this stretch every day, you already know about the closure. The bigger point is the reason for it. This is the second half of a plan to turn 32 ½ Road into one continuous, sidewalk-lined corridor through Clifton. The first half is already finished, and the closed block is the piece that ties it together.
What changed on October 5
Here's the county's detour notice in plain terms:
- The closed segment: 32 ½ Road from E Road to E ½ Road is closed to through traffic. Local access stays open.
- Work hours: Crews are on site 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
- Transit: Grand Valley Transit Route 10 is affected and a few stops in the area are closed. GVT has added courtesy stops along E Road instead.
- Who to call: The contractor is Mountain Valley Contracting, Inc. You can reach them at 970-644-6560 or [email protected].
The notice sends drivers to the marked detour but doesn't list the route street by street, so the orange signs are the best guide for now. The county has also said more detour information will go out to nearby residents, businesses and drivers as it becomes available.
There are two dates to keep straight. The road closure is expected to last until summer 2027. The full project, though, is scheduled to finish at the end of 2027. The block between E and E ½ should reopen before the rest of the work is done.
The half that's already finished
Some background helps explain the closure. The county's earlier project, called the 32 1/2 Road and Clifton Campus Roadway Improvement Project, was declared complete on November 21, 2025. It replaced the 32 ½ Road bridge over the Grand Valley Irrigation Canal. It built a new roundabout and an extension linking E Road to the south end of 32 ½ Road near D 7/8 Road. It widened D ¾ Road and added a sidewalk connecting Rocky Mountain Elementary Park with nearby homes.
Before that project, 32 ½ Road didn't go all the way through south of E Road. Commissioner Cody Davis linked the extension to the buildings that have gone up along it: "With the development of the Early Childhood Education Center, Rocky Mountain Elementary School, and our new Community Center here in Clifton, it was natural that we connect E Road to the rest of the world."
So the south end now has a finished road, a roundabout and sidewalks reaching the campus area. North of the canal, the road still looked like the one Page described. Phase II covers that northern stretch.
What Phase II adds, block by block
The Phase II work zone runs along 32 ½ Road from the Grand Valley Canal to Front Street. County commissioners approved a $4.6 million construction contract with Mountain Valley Contracting on September 15, 2026.
| Phase I, completed Nov. 2025 | Phase II, underway now | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | E Road south to near D 7/8 Road, plus D ¾ Road | Grand Valley Canal north to Front Street |
| Roadway | New extension where the road didn't go through | Full rebuild and widening |
| Intersection | New roundabout at the south end | Roundabout replacing the two-way stop at E ½ Road |
| Walking | Sidewalk linking Rocky Mountain Elementary Park to homes | Sidewalks and accessible curb ramps, plus wider walking space at the railroad crossing |
| Water | Canal bridge replaced | Regional stormwater detention facility near the canal |
Each of those Phase II items fixes a specific problem.
The E ½ Road intersection. The county reports a high number of broadside crashes where 32 ½ Road meets E ½ Road, which is now controlled by a two-way stop. The plan replaces it with a roundabout. In its project explainer, the county says roundabouts have been shown to cut overall crashes by 70% and fatal and injury crashes by more than 80%. That's a general figure for roundabouts, not a forecast for this one intersection. Still, it's the main reason this corner was picked for the change. WesternSlopeNow's report on the contract award also led with the roundabout.
The railroad crossing. In July, the county announced an agreement that cleared the way to widen the 32 ½ Road crossing and add sidewalk space there. KKCO 11 News reported that the planned sidewalks are five feet wide on one side and ten feet wide on the other, routed behind the signal arms. In that same July report, officials said they didn't expect major disruption to train service. That expectation was stated before construction began. The county has said pedestrian safety near the crossing will stay a priority throughout the work zone.
The stormwater facility. In a September 10 announcement, the county said commissioners had approved an agreement for a regional detention facility of about 2.3 acres near the Grand Valley Canal. Once it's built, Housing Resources of Western Colorado will own, operate and maintain it. It works together with the new drainage under the rebuilt road. The county notes that much of 32 ½ Road was built without shoulders or sidewalks even as the area around it kept growing.
KKCO's September coverage described this phase as connecting Clifton's earlier road projects. Once both phases are finished, a road that used to stop short at E Road and had gravel shoulders for most of its length will run as one rebuilt corridor. It will have sidewalks from near D 7/8 Road, past the campus area and over the tracks, up to Front Street.
The south end stays open, and so does its fall calendar
The closed block is north of E Road. The Clifton Community Campus is at 3270 D ½ Road, which is south of E Road on the county grid. That's the same area the first phase was built to connect. Several regular fall events take place on that south side.
- Clifton Community Market: The market meets Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Metcalfe Park, 3270 D ½ Road, and the season runs through October 24, 2026. That leaves two Saturdays after this weekend.
- Open gym: The county's Clifton Community Center page lists weekly open gym on Thursdays from 6 to 8 p.m. The campus opened on June 22, 2024.
- Clifton Library: The Mesa County Libraries calendar lists bilingual storytime at the Clifton Branch on Monday, October 12, from 10 to 10:30 a.m. On Tuesday, October 13, the Clifton Book Club meets from 10 to 11 a.m. in the Mt. Lincoln Room, and Teen Time: Paint and Snack runs that afternoon from 4 to 5 p.m.
- Lavender & Artisan Winter Fair: The Lavender Association of Colorado's 16th annual fair is set for Saturday, December 5, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Clifton Community Center, 3270 D ½ Road, Building B. Vendor applications are due October 31.
The county's notice doesn't give access instructions for specific destinations. If you usually reach the campus from the north on 32 ½ Road, plan on taking the marked detour until next summer.
What to expect between now and the end of 2027
The county has listed the start, the closure and the finish dates. For now, the closure runs from E Road to E ½ Road and is expected to last until summer 2027. The work is scheduled to finish at the end of 2027. The county says detour updates will be shared as they become available, and the contractor's phone line and email are the direct contact in the meantime.
Phase I took the south end from gravel shoulders to a finished road with a roundabout and sidewalks. When this phase is done, the north end will match it, and the whole route will connect to Front Street.
If you live along 32 ½ Road or nearby and have questions about how the rebuild affects your street or your plans for the next year, The Van Gundy Group is glad to talk it through with you. We follow Clifton projects like this one closely, and we're happy to share what we know. Contact Us anytime.
