Transportation Archives - Page 4 of 11

NACTO 2023 Denver: Lessons in Progressive Multimodal Networks and Cultural Impact

When it comes to transportation engineering, Otak believes in the power of multimodal transportation as an essential design lens. In our view, roads are not only for cars – pedestrian overpasses, bike lanes, and the surrounding landscape all serve to make transportation infrastructure more robust, inclusive, and perhaps most importantly, sustainable for all to use no matter how you’re getting from point A to point B.

Attending events in this space enables us to use this philosophy as a differentiator, where we can not only share our values and approach, but we can also build relationships with the communities we work in. The result is transportation projects using a more involved and community-driven design method that serves the needs of the neighborhood.

It’s this emphasis on community-driven design that makes conferences like the NACTO 2023 Conference in Denver, Designing Cities, so important to us.

We’re happy to report our own Kevin Dooley and Ann Nguyen served as key speakers at the NACTO 2023 conference, working to showcase projects in the region that are helping transform how cities can, or ought to be designed.

What Is NACTO?

The National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) Designing Cities conference is in its 11^th year, bringing together over 1,000 officials, planners, and practitioners to advance the state of urban transportation. By bringing city officials, planners, and transportation professionals together, real conversations can be had about how to improve everyone’s access to quality transportation infrastructure – especially while improving a city’s bike network.

This conference is an especially good way to get an idea of what issues or challenges officials from cities around the country are facing in their multi-modal design processes, as well as identify new trends in the industry like sidetracks or protected intersections.

Denver 2023: A Site to Showcase Progressive Transportation Networks

Image of the NACTO route showing Boulder's Core Arterial Network — *NACTO Route: Boulder’s Core Arterial Network*

Right in the backyard of our Colorado locations, this is the first time NACTO has been held in Denver. The city was chosen strategically as a place to showcase some of the most progressive and quick bike network expansions in the country since becoming a major point of emphasis for local government, a trend also catching on in surrounding cities like Boulder or Fort Collins.

What’s key about this for us is that a unique focus is given to the socio-economic factors impacting transportation access, or lack thereof, in a given community. Working sessions were done with historical context in mind, meaning factors like the evolution of transportation and how it impacts different demographics of people are at the forefront of conversation.

Otak leaders also gave presentations directly surrounding this topic, so we’re about to take a deep dive on what they talked about and the ideas they shared.

Prioritizing Safety and Mobility on Major Streets: A Look at Boulder’s Core Arterial Network

These working sessions at NACTO Denver, dubbed “WalkShops,” centered on literal walk-throughs of project sites throughout the city. At each location discussions were had on techniques that were used and what benefits they had to the community.

First, we’ll get into what Kevin Dooley, a Transportation Project Manager, presented on. As part of Boulder’s Core Arterial Network (CAN), more than 30 transportation planners and officials from all over the country rode through our 30th and CO Underpass project – where Kevin was on-hand to provide insight to NACTO attendees.

Improving One of the Most Dangerous Intersections in Boulder

An essential transportation route for both the general community and University of Colorado Boulder students was in dire need of an upgrade – not just aesthetically but functionally. The intersection of 30th and Colorado represented one of the most dangerous in the city. Coordination with our teaming partners based on public feedback and outreach was critical to the design process, all in an effort to make the intersection safer for all who use it, no matter the mode of transportation.

One of the unique solutions for delivering the project was raising the intersection by about five feet to provide a pedestrian underpass. This allows for shorter underpass approach lengths while meeting ADA compliance. The project also includes more 0.5 lanes miles of raised bike lanes, or “cycle track”, and incorporates the City of Boulder first fully “protected intersection” for street cyclists.

Apart from impact on right of way for users among other benefits, the design was meant to showcase that one is not always limited by space in evaluating a site. If you’re able to think outside the box, creativity ultimately pays off when designing a functional pedestrian underpass.

A second design feature also delivered two separate underpasses – the decision was one that took a data and community driven approach to complete. Early findings when researching the site showed the southwest and northeast, plus southern and eastern leg movements were more congested than the other elements of the existing intersection. Modeling also showed that one diagonal underpass would allow for only around 390 users per day, far below the utilization the project needed.

The two-underpass approach captured 61% of all bike and pedestrian crossings at the intersection, with 38% of those users traveling both legs of the intersection. During planning, over 1,000 bikes or pedestrians per day were expected to use at least one of the two underpasses, and 38% of those will use both. Using data and utilization as a guiding light made this project an especially great one to showcase at NACTO this year.

Improving Denver’s Urban Core: A Community-Led Effort Around Transportation, Art, and Culture

Ann Nguyen, an Otak landscape architect and planner, took the lead in her Walkshop around the developing core of Denver’s urban center. Besides being an expert on our team, she’s also involved in the La Alma Lincoln Park Neighborhood Association and serves as an advisory board member for the Art District on Santa Fe, meaning her passion for Denver and its design are always top of mind.

Her Walkshop involved a compilation of projects in the La Alma and Lincoln Park neighborhoods in West Denver. Improvements to neighborhood safety and main street connections in the core of the city also focused on preserving cultural elements of the urban fabric.

Transportation Design and Planning Behind a Cultural and Art District

The projects Ann walked through focus on ‘cultural’ and ‘art’ district designations and their importance to making cities places where people love living.

As a major stakeholder on the Santa Fe Streetscape project, Ann showcased a transportation-focused way of improving safety along a main street that was recently shrunk from four lanes of traffic to three lanes to create a more pedestrian-centered environment. The project represents progress on a long-standing vision for the neighborhood, including the Art District and Business Improvement District situated along this corridor.

Next, she walked viewers through the 5280 Trail project, which is a loop in the urban core of Denver that connects its neighborhoods to each other. Ann led the third phase of that project through community-led design and activating areas along the proposed trail. Ann worked closely with the Art District on Santa Fe, Neighborhood Association, Denver Housing Authority, local artists, nonprofits and youth to install two murals between Denver’s first Art District and its second cultural district.

Finally, Ann walked through her work on the Santa Fe Design Overlay, a rezoning project she’s been working on independently for years. With the goal of developing a true main street, those rezoning plans were passed. This cleared the way for a design overlay on Santa Fe Drive that supports future development that’s integrated with the existing community, ensuring that it complements the existing built environment and character of place.

Conference Roundup: Forging Relationships During Spring Conference Season!

We’re officially rounding out the end of Spring conference season in Oregon, where we’ve continued to form lasting partnerships, meet the clients we serve, and showcase what we’re about. We love the opportunities conferences give us to support and connect with organizations rooted in the communities we call home.

OAME and APWA Oregon, the two most recent conferences we attended, are organizations we have a long history of partnering with. Read on to find out more about each conference and hear the why behind what makes each of them so special!

OAME Conference

The 35th Annual Trade Show hosted by the all-inclusive organization, Oregon Association of Minority Entrepreneurs (OAME) provided us with the opportunity to exchange ideas, talk to fellow partners and potential clients, and most importantly support the growth of minority-owned businesses.

We value having a presence at this conference, because enables us to show up directly for minority-run businesses and forge lasting partnerships – from prospective clients to new friends in the industry.

Complete with a booth and Otakians from engineering, architecture, marketing in full attendance, we got the chance to bring who we are to the table: a firm that listens to our communities and their local businesses and uses those connections to improve the project work we do daily.

APWA OR Conference

The American Public Works Association (APWA) is one of the most influential professional organizations in the public works field, dedicated to raising awareness about the vital role public works plays in the communities where we live. Fun fact, our own Ashley Cantlon, senior water resources engineer, is the Oregon chapter President – meaning we have a deep appreciation for our relationship with the organization.

Similarly to the OAME conference, this event allows us to be involved in one of the premier organizations for public works in the state, enabling better connections, better relationships, and better understanding of best practices and industry trends.

With a strong presence from Otak engineering leaders like Kevin Timmins, Amanda Owings, Henry Alaman, and Trista Kobluskie, we spoke with potential clients, new friends, and learned more about how we can enrich neighborhoods through the power of quality design. To mix things up a bit, we brought along a special APWA OR picture frame to encourage some photo opts!

Thank you to both these organizations for hosting us, and we can’t wait to come back next year!

North Creek Trail

Including five boardwalks, a bridge, and 20 retaining walls, North Creek Trail extends 2.5 miles outside Bothell, Washington to traverse sensitive wetlands and a canyon that holds North Creek itself. In leading the project, Otak provided trail and roadway, stormwater, and structural design as well as construction support services for the first phase of construction as the design of phases two and three were completed. That effort included review and responses to RFIs and close coordination with the County project manager and construction inspection staff.

An Urban Trail and Structural Design to Minimize Impact to Sensitive Wetlands

This urban trail segment connects an existing segment near SR 524 with North Creek Park. To minimize environmental impacts and simplify permitting, micropiles support the boardwalks that carry the regional trail over sensitive areas. A 1,383-foot, 14-span prestressed concrete girder bridge crosses the canyon where North Creek runs, including 800 feet of surrounding wetlands. In accommodating ADA grades along the crossing, several portions of the bridge are 30 to 40 feet in the air. Because of the difficulty and sensitivity of constructing a long bridge through the wetlands, a detailed alternative analysis was performed evaluating varying span lengths, foundation types, construction methodologies, access, along with pier and superstructure types. The pedestrian bridge over North Creek would be constructed as part of phase three.

APWA Project of the Year: 180th Street Corridor Improvements

Otak is excited to announce that our work on 180th Street SE Improvements for Snohomish County just won Project of the Year at the APWA Washington’s annual Spring conference in the $5 million – $25 million Transportation category!

Read on as we take a deep dive into what this award means, and why we’re so grateful to be recognized among many other deserving winners from across Washington state.

What’s the Project?

The impact of improvements to the 180th Street corridor makes the area safer for pedestrians, bicyclists, drivers, and critical habitats in the surrounding natural environment.

The unincorporated area between the cities of Mill Creek and Bothell is one of the fastest growing in all of Snohomish County. The east/west 180th St SE corridor runs through the heart of the community, and along with the north/south corridors of State Route 527, 35th Ave SE, and Seattle Hill Rd, is one of the main routes for navigating the southwest area of Snohomish County.

With the steadily increasing population and plans for additional transit options coming to the area, improvements to the arterial transportation system are a top priority for Snohomish County.

Otak partnered with Snohomish County Public Works to deliver transportation, structural, and environmental services for the project’s Phase I improvements, and we’re beyond proud of the final result.

What’s the APWA?

The American Public Works Association is an international educational and professional association of public agencies, private sector companies, and individuals dedicated to providing high quality public works goods and services. Originally chartered in 1937, APWA is the largest and oldest organization of its kind in the world, with headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri, an office in Washington, D.C., and 67 chapters throughout North America. APWA provides a forum in which public works professionals can exchange ideas, improve professional competency, increase the performance of their agencies and companies, and bring important public works-related topics to public attention in local, state and federal arenas.

The Washington Chapter’s 1,400 (+/-) members come from the entire state of Washington. The Chapter as a whole meets twice a year at spring (Western Washington) and fall (Eastern Washington) conferences and there are several other formal and informal annual events throughout the year.

We’d like to formally thank APWA Washington for bestowing this award on such a deserving and community-driven project. Stay tuned for more conference and award news as this season gets into full swing. We can’t wait to connect with more of our partners and clients at future events, and maybe win some more awards along the way!

180th Street Corridor Improvements

For one of the fastest-growing areas of Snohomish County, plans for additional transit options and improvements to the arterial transportation system were considered a top priority. As a main route in the county’s southeast, the 180th corridor would be reconstructed with a multimodal design that addresses capacity needs while also enhancing multiple adjacent wetland habitats.

Increased Roadway Capacity, Fully-Mitigated Environmental Impact

In meeting the county’s five-lane urban arterial design stands, improvements to the 180th Street corridor includes the widening of the road with two new lanes to improve capacity and reduce congestion. Sidewalks on both sides of the road and bike lanes are part of multimodal design. With much of the work occurring at the confluence of two fish-bearing streams, significant changes to that system were needed. Realigning a portion of Thompson Creek and the removal of a roadside ditch creates a more natural channel and habitat. A new stormwater conveyance system adds modular wetlands for stormwater treatment, and stormwater detention vaults for flow control. The removal of hydrologic barriers along with wetland enhancements through grading, soil amendments, and planting were part of fully-mitigating all impacts on site. Otak designed two culvert replacements, a restored stream channel, stormwater facilities, retaining walls, and utility relocation to support the County’s roadway improvement goals.

Little Boston Road Pedestrian Trail

Adjacent to Little Boston Road, a 0.75-mile section of trail was designed and constructed as the principal nonmotorized connection to the Tribal Administrative Campus for the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe.

A Pedestrian Trail Designed for Tribal Administrative Access

The pedestrian trail consists of a ten-foot-wide paved trail with a number of amenities that also includes three pedestrian bridges, five stream crossings, and 7,600 square-feet of retaining walls. In limiting impact to to the area, the project included environmental mitigation as well as utility relocations, driveway and frontage restoration along 15 homeowner sites. As the prime consultant for design and construction Otak provided civil and structural engineering, landscape design, geotechnical investigation, environmental mitigation design, community engagement, construction document preparation, permitting, and construction management.

McGilchrist Street Arterial Improvements

As a major east/west arterial, McGilchrist Street carries significant traffic volumes for the area surrounding Salem, Oregon. The corridor, which provides a vital connection to downtown access as well as I-5 via Highway 22, would undergo multiple phases across three segments of roadway improvements aimed at traffic, railway, bicyclist, and pedestrian use. In leading the roadway design, Otak prepared a corridor analysis and feasibility study, as well as the engineering design and stream analysis to accommodate multiple creek crossings.

Roadway Design Intersects Stream Analysis for an Improved Corridor and Fish Habitat

The roadway design of McGilchrist Street traverses existing railroad tracks along with crossings at Clark Creek as well as the East and West Forks of Pringle Creek. Widening throughout the corridor with additional turn lanes at major intersections featuring new traffic signals – including the realignment of the 22nd Street intersection to a four-leg intersection – aim to reduce traffic congestion while bike facilities including a 10-foot-wide protected cycle track and pedestrian crossings encourage active transportation. In facilitating multiple creek crossings as well as widening of an at-grade track crossing for a Union Pacific Railroad mainline, stream analysis also identified solutions to alleviate bank over-topping and chronic flooding from the creek channel onto adjacent properties and over the existing roadway. Two culverts – including three-sided culvert with a natural bottom to accommodate the road widening – along with large wood debris add to this approach while also improving fish passage and habitat.

NE 171st Street Urban Parkway

An alternatives analysis process led to a selected concept for three roundabouts along the existing alignment of NE 171^st Street in Woodinville, Washington. The design alleviates congestion created by zoning changes aimed at encouraging economic growth in the city’s downtown area. In leading the analysis, Otak also provided a variety of services including the full design and construction support that followed.

Converting an Arterial to Improve Capacity, Flooding, and Fish Passage

Zoning changes enacted within the downtown master planning area of Woodinville were expected to result in congested intersections at key entrances into the downtown core. Roundabouts at one existing intersection and plans for two others – at locations that would be constructed as the area became more densely developed – provided the basis for the identified best solution. The alignment for each intersecting roadway was determined while incorporating a roadway diet, from five lanes to two, between roundabouts to channelize the traffic safely and efficiently. These improvements came with several other benefits by substantially reducing paved areas, replacing two culverts to fish-passable standards, alleviating flooding, and adding stormwater quality improvements, and a multi-use trail.

Paepcke Transit Hub Improvements

A combination of three popular bus stops, WE-Cycle stations, Car-to-Go, and its central location in town, Paepcke Park is one of the busiest transit hubs in the City of Aspen. With a focus on safety, accessibility, speed, and reliability, a comprehensive analysis and design for transportation improvements would take shape with the help of the community.

Comprehensive Transportation Analysis for an Updated Transit Design

In close collaboration with the City of Aspen and Roaring Fork Transportation Authority (RFTA), a multidisciplinary design team conducted widespread analysis aimed to improve all modes of transit at the Paekpcke Hub. Comprehensive studies covered traffic and parking analysis, bus and pedestrian movement analysis, connectivity analysis, busway and bus stop design, intersection design, as well as roadway and drainage design among others. Informing the design, improvements include dedicated bus lanes, BRT shelters, new lane configurations, improved parking layouts, multiple pedestrian and bicycle safety enhancement features, bicycle parking, additional crosswalks, widened sidewalks, grading and drainage improvements, and numerous green street solutions. A robust public involvement process solicited feedback through a series of surveys to come up with several options for each phase of the project.

Orange Line – Swift Bus Rapid Transit

As part of Washington State’s first bus rapid transit (BRT) line, the 11-mile Orange Line route connects portions of Snohomish County along with the cities of Lynnwood and Mill Creek. Otak led the design and permitting while also providing construction engineering support for this transit-oriented development.

Expanding Bus Rapid Transit Corridors and Facilities for Improved Public Transportation

The design of this corridor connects service to Edmonds College, Lynnwood city center, Alderwood Mall, Mill Creek, including four park-and-rides and three future Sound Transit Link light rail stations. Project elements include a new transit center for the western terminus at the Edmonds College, construction of 17 BRT stations along the new Orange Line corridor and one additional BRT station along the Blue Line Swift Bus route, retrofitting five Green Line stations to also function as Orange Line stations, reconstruction of the existing transit center at the McCollum Park Park-and-Ride, and roadway and signal improvements at approximately 14 intersections to improve transit speed and reliability. Otak team efforts include alternatives analysis, preliminary and final design, environmental permitting, PS&E preparation, and jurisdictional coordination and permitting for the proposed BRT stations and termini including all associated roadway, signal, and pedestrian improvements.