The good news: Phase 2 of Incline construction has been completed and the Pikes Peak region’s favorite hiking trail opened again today.

The better news: The City of Colorado Springs has secured a $2 million grant that will cover the cost of stabalizing Phase 3, the top portion of the Incline. If all goes as planned, work on the old railway bed will be complete in December, 2017.

The first steps will likely include climbing a mountain of red tape and paperwork. The new funding will come through the Community Development Block Grant Program, administered by HUD.

“We’re working with a different agency (Housing and Urban Development), so I don’t know how much paperwork is involved,” said Sarah Bryarly, landscape architect at the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Department. “The good thing is that this is Phase 3, so we’ve already done our environment and archeological stuff, so a lot of that groundwork has already been done. It’s just a matter of getting it into the right format.”

Work on the Incline to this point has been done on private property, land owned by Colorado Springs Utilities and the Pikes Peak Cog Railway. The top and final portion is Forest Service land.

“We’ll need to make sure the Forest Service is on board with everything,” Bryarly said. “We’ve been a partner with the Forest Service and they’ve been at the table with everything so far,” Bryarly said.

The city is hoping to begin work on the final stretch on Monday, Aug. 21, 2017, following the Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon. The top portion will be the shortest piece, but the work will be difficult as the grade is steep toward the Incline’s summit. Bryarly said plans call for more erosion-control structure, as well as securing the railway ties to the slope.

With construction costs rising every year, and the threat of heavy rains damaging the Incline’s upper portion, the city wants to move as quickly.

“Ideally, we would go as soon as possible,” Bryarly said.”

Reconstruction has focused on erosion control and mitigation, with retaining walls built of timber and rock. Many of the old railway ties have been replaced with others secured. In some sections, the ties have been connected to keep them from sliding downhill, or becoming dislodged.

Other projects could also fall into place in 2017. Plans call for a new trailhead, including new restrooms. And, if the Strawberry Fields land exchange is completed, Bryarly said two new trails on the north side of the incline, one beginning from the bailout (halfway point) and a another about a third of the way up, could be installed. Both trails would lead to the base of the Incline.

“In an ideal world, we would get all of this happening at the same time,” she said.

About 70 hikers lined up for the ribbon cutting as the Incline opened to the public again on Friday morning.