CARBONDALE — A proposal by a midvalley developer to build a pedestrian bridge over the Roaring Fork River from a subdivision to the Rio Grande Trail was shot down by the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority board of directors Thursday in a split decision.

Supporters on the board said the bridge would enhance safety by giving cyclists an option to stay off Catherine Road to enter or exit the trail. The bridge would be open for public use.

Opponents on the board said adding the bridge would degrade one of the most pristine sections of the trail.

The bridge was proposed from the TCI Lane Ranch on the north side of the Roaring Fork River to the trail on the south side. The bridge was proposed about three-quarters of a mile upstream from the Catherine Bridge. It would intersect the trail along one of the most scenic stretches. There are no trail connections along the 3 miles from Catherine Bridge to Rock Bottom Ranch. The trail provides fantastic views of wetlands and the river along the stretch.

Jon Fredericks, whose planning firm LANDWEST is representing developer Ace Lane, said the bridge would be an amenity for the proposed subdivision and also provide public benefit. TCI Lane Ranch has approvals from Garfield County for 89 residential units. None have been built yet.

The single-span bridge was designed to clear the river without piers in the water. Its height would be enough to avoid problems with anglers' boats even during high water, Fredericks said.

“Will it make the valley a better place? I would argue yes,” Fredericks said.

Basalt Councilwoman and RFTA board member Jacque Whitsitt said she supported the bridge because it provided an option for cyclists. Many people ride their bikes on Old Highway 82, now a frontage road, to limit their time on the trail at busy times, she noted. The proposed bridge would provide a way to make a connection between the trail and the frontage road while staying clear of traffic on County Road 100, also known as Catherine Road.

Currently, cyclists must use a 1-mile stretch of Catherine Road to make the connection between the frontage road and Rio Grande Trail. That stretch is narrow, in rough shape because of potholes and hosts a lot of traffic, much more than the frontage road. It's a dangerous route for cyclists, Whitsitt said.

“There's a huge public benefit here,” she said, regarding the pedestrian bridge.

Aspen Councilman and RFTA board member Steve Skadron said the safety issues of Catherine Road shouldn't weigh into RFTA's decision. He said RFTA guidelines say connections to the Rio Grande Trail should be rejected when they have major environmental consequences or change the rural character of the trail corridor.

The proposed bridge is designed well, but it still doesn't meet RFTA's criteria, Skadron said. The addition of the bridge would degrade the experience of using the trail.

“I think this is one of these that shouldn't be allowed,” he said.

Furthermore, he said, RFTA has no obligation to approve a project proposed by a private entity. Approving the TCI Lane Ranch bridge could spur similar requests from developers and other landowners who want to enhance their property values, he said.

“This is development-driven,” Skadron said. “This isn't a RFTA project coming to fruition.”

RFTA members from Glenwood Springs, Carbondale and New Castle sided with Whitsitt, making four in favor of the bridge. The representatives of Pitkin County and Snowmass Village sided with Skadron against the bridge, creating a total of three against.

Nevertheless, the bridge went down because RFTA rules require a super majority of six votes to pass a motion.

“I'd like to support it but I just can't,” said Pitkin County Commissioner and RFTA chairman Michael Owsley. “The issue for me is we're adding another obstruction.”

The RFTA vote essentially pulled a pier from under the developer. The RFTA board voted unanimously in support of the conceptual idea of the bridge in April 2008. Many of the same board members remain, although a few seats have turned over. Wilkinson, who voted against the bridge Thursday, voted for it and seconded a motion for its approval in 2008.

Since the earlier vote in favor, Lane has paid for the engineering and other planning of the bridge and spent time and money seeking necessary permits from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. All told, about $100,000 has been spent to plan the bridge after the initial RFTA board conceptual approval, Fredericks said.

Owsley said the earlier vote provided no guarantees. “Of course you know, it's never over until the last inning,” he said.

Fredericks asked the board if it would reconsider the issue at a later time. He was told he would be welcomed back after the board discusses the broader policy of connections to the Rio Grande Trail. Pitkin County Commissioner George Newman, an alternative on the RFTA board, advised Frederick to return with a crowd of “little kids and older ladies” in support of the bridge to sway the RFTA board.

“We're not going to let it die,” Fredericks said after the meeting.