To increase safety in the area around Tualatin Elementary School, improvements were designed to reduce barriers for students walking and biking to school. In developing the final design, Otak incorporated feedback from an extensive public involvement process that identified infrastructure needs in the area.
Adding Safe School Routes with Multimodal Transportation
With a focus on safety, this portion of the Tualatin Moving Forward bond program adds multimodal options for students and other members of the community. The final design includes various project elements from road widening and a new sidewalk to a rectangular rapid flashing beacon (RRFB) pedestrian crossing, ADA ramp improvements, and traffic calming devices. Traffic congestion during pick-up and drop-off times was improved by adding a dedicated left turn lane by modifying an existing traffic signal and re-striping of existing lanes. The road adjacent to Tualatin Elementary was re-striped to narrower lanes, helping to slow traffic speeds and allowing the project to add a bike lane as well as on-street parking. A new stormwater planter treats runoff created by new impervious surfaces.
Field Notes is a recurring series where impactful aspects of projects are brought into focus from the field, along with the people who make it possible.
Structural engineering plays a pivotal role in shaping and improving communities worldwide. While we often take transportation infrastructure for granted in first-world countries, many less developed regions struggle with seemingly simple transportation challenges that hinder access to vital services.
This article explores the transformative work of Engineers in Action (EIA), an organization dedicated to building bridges, providing clean water, and fostering education and workforce development in underserved areas. Through the lens of Sally Gerster, a passionate structural engineer at Otak and mentor for the program, we delve into the profound impact of footbridges on isolated communities and the broader socioeconomic benefits they bring.
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Engineers in Action Footbridge Project in Churo Alto, Bolivia
Who is Engineers in Action?
Engineers in Action is an organization committed to building bridges and facilitating access to education and healthcare, all in an effort to empower communities globally. Originally affiliated with Bridges to Prosperity, Engineers in Action places a special focus on constructing footbridges, which have an outsized impact on the communities where they’re needed. With impassable rivers and other barriers, these structures ensure year-round, safe access to vital services such as education, healthcare, and employment — together serving as a catalyst for poverty alleviation.
“The impact of even a simple footbridge on people’s lives, as this seemingly small thing that we don’t think about, is incredible.”
Sally Gerster, Structural Engineer and EIA Mentor
The Impact of Footbridges on Isolated Communities
In many communities worldwide, the lack of transportation infrastructure presents significant challenges, impeding access to essential services, community assets, and even contact with family members. By constructing footbridges, Engineers in Action improves the lives of over 5,000 people annually.
Sally highlights the compounding effect a single bridge can have on individuals, families, and communities as a whole. Take for example, a farmer unable to cross a barrier to access seeds. His inability to work and earn an income also can quickly lead to a lack of food and participation in the local economy. This obstruction – even if temporary – suddenly limits members of an entire community to sustain their livelihood, or life itself. When considering these alternatives, the question often becomes, do you risk your life or the life of others to cross these sites?
Sally Gerster on-site with EIA
Workforce & Economic Impacts
The economic impact of footbridges in isolated communities is profound. Studies conducted by Bridges to Prosperity reveal a 36% increase in wages and a 75% increase in farmer profitability following the implementation of bridge programs. Additionally, these projects lead to a 60% increase in women entering the labor market, fostering gender equality and economic empowerment. The compounding effect Sally mentions becomes even more apparent when considering the transformative power these bridges hold for local economies.
Education Impacts
Inaccessible barriers often prevent children from attending school, particularly during seasons of heavy rainfall. Education plays a vital role in community development, and footbridges act as the gateway to improved educational opportunities. Furthermore, the involvement of the community in these projects cultivates a sense of ownership and fosters learning experiences that transcend engineering. Engineers in Action not only prepares the next generation of globally-minded engineers, but also empowers communities through active participation.
Broader Community Impacts
In addition to education and economic benefits, footbridges have far-reaching impacts on various other aspects of communities. Improved access to markets enhances economic opportunities, while increased accessibility to healthcare facilities ensures better nutrition and healthcare outcomes. Additionally, footbridges strengthen family bonds by reuniting separated loved ones and facilitating social interactions.
Path of an Engineer in Action: Sally’s Journey to Impact
Sally’s story exemplifies the journey of an engineer dedicated to creating positive change. Her involvement with Engineers in Action began as a student at CU Boulder, where she joined the organization, later becoming a mentor and structural engineer at Otak. University student teams actively organize, design, and construct these bridges, with the organization fostering partnerships for experiential learning and cultural exposure. Sally’s work highlights the profound impact that seemingly small engineering interventions can have on people’s lives and communities.
The Projects
Churo Alto, Bolivia – Learning to Connect Communities
Sally’s involvement in Bolivia took place during the summer after her sophomore year. Alongside her university team, she fundraised, designed, and spent eight weeks building a suspended cable pedestrian bridge spanning 60 meters. This bridge addressed the need of a community separated by a river, which rendered access to school and family members impossible during the rainy season.
Nkambule, Eswatini – Mentoring for Educational Opportunities
Years after her first experience, Sally mentored a project in Eswatini, where she guided a team from CU and Penn State University (PSU). The impassable river in this region hindered various aspects of community life, and the bridge provided newfound opportunities for educational growth. Sally joined to help fill knowledge gaps and played a critical role during the project’s final and most complex stages.
In addition to completing the project, everyone involved gained a unique perspective on their work’s impact. According to Sally, the community’s enthusiasm for this bridge project was unparalleled. “This community was the most excited about the bridge project than any other. They welcomed the students to their community like I’d never seen before, and the students were so excited to learn.” The resulting experience fostered an immersive exchange of culture and knowledge between the students and the community, including visiting the local church and cooking meals together.
Rwanda – Mastering Impact with Data and a Unique Camera System
As a Master’s student, Sally’s work took a slightly different angle, aiming to not just create impact through a single footbridge project, but in measuring that impact across multiple projects. This time Sally found herself in Rwanda, developing a system using trail cameras to track bridge use. Her system is designed to recognize human (ignoring wildlife that can frequent a bridge) traffic, implementing the system, and training locals to operate it after she was gone.
The data enables more comprehensive evaluations of footbridge impact on health, business, and education. Sally’s efforts in Rwanda underscore the multifaceted nature of Engineers in Action’s work and their commitment to continuously improving the outcomes of their projects. The system is still in use today and that data is being applied to not only better understanding the value of the organizations work but also expand where and what they’re able to support communities with across the globe.
Building the Future’s Impact of Structural Engineering
Demonstrated through the work of Engineers in Action, structural engineering and transportation infrastructure is essential to community building. The organization continuously advances its capabilities, such as expanding into the construction of suspension bridges where longer spans open the door to new opportunities in more locations, but also require a higher degree of technical skill and resources. For her part, Sally intends to continue mentoring and supporting students in their pursuit of engineering excellence. Individuals and corporations can also contribute to these programs by volunteering, providing financial support, or sharing their expertise.
The transformative power of footbridges in isolated communities cannot be overstated. Through the dedicated efforts of organizations like Engineers in Action and the passionate individuals like Sally, access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunities becomes a reality for those who were once isolated. By investing in structural engineering projects, we build not only physical connections but also bridges of hope and empowerment, shaping a brighter future for communities around the world.
Following historic flooding in Colorado, repairs to Sugarloaf Road went beyond correcting existing issues to include several enhancements. The Otak design added a bikeable shoulder and drainage plans, altogether enhancing resilience and active transportation infrastructure for Boulder County communities.
A Roadway Designed for Flood Recovery, Resilience, and Active Transportation
Failed retaining walls along Sugarloaf Road during historic flooding required immediate repair guidance. As part of an overarching FEMA-administered Flood Recovery Program, the final design not only corrected drainage issues that caused wall failures and debris to enter the roadway but also allowed the new wall and drainage design to provide for an uphill climbing bikeable shoulder for known heavy bicycle traffic to the area. Three-tier gravity retaining walls and mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls were used to create a wider roadway that accommodates these enhancements. Working closely with county staff and with input from public outreach, several wall options were presented that intended to blend in with the natural environment, while ensuring it was constructible, in compliance with various permitting, and maintainable for years to come. Expedited delivery of this project included initial work to develop a temporary retaining wall to fully open the roadway to the public until completion.
In an effort to increase traffic capacity at Martinazzi Avenue and Sagert Street in Tualatin, Oregon, a redesign of the intersection was initiated to improve operations. In leading the conceptual and final design, Otak also supported the broader project team with alternatives analysis, utility coordination and design during construction to bring the concept to completion.
Improving Intersection Operations with a Multimodal Design
Originally a four-way-stop, updating this intersection to a traffic signal was designed to alleviate congestion. With an added focus on pedestrian and bicycle safety, the project is also part of the Tualatin Moving Forward bond program, where transportation projects across the city prioritize congestion relief, neighborhood safety, and access to public assets. In meeting these goals, the project includes the widening of Sagert Street to include buffered bike lanes and widened sidewalks as well as ADA ramp improvements. Right-of-way acquisition and utility relocations were also necessary in bringing this design to reality.
To improve road maintenance operations and the safe processing of household hazardous waste, the Kitsap County Department of Public Works aimed to update its existing facilities. The design adds a number of new facilities across 16 acres – including a 18,500 square-foot administration building – from a more central location to better protect the environment and serve the community. In leading the preliminary and final design, Otak also conducted internal and external stakeholder engagement, site plan alternatives analysis, permit acquisition, and preparation of environmental review documentation in bringing these new assets to the community.
Facilities Designed for Road and Waste Operations that Protect the Environment and Community
Dating back to the 1920’s and 1950’s the original Kitsap County facilities had grown obsolete with inadequate storage space for necessary equipment and significantly increased traffic volume. With over 900 miles of roadway to preserve and maintain, the new facilities are designed to more efficiently operate a number of programs from surface treatment and snow removal to vegetation management to street sweeping. Included in the design are multiple vehicle maintenance shops, a vehicle wash and fuel station, as well as 9,600 square-feet of covered canopy for parking and storage among other road maintenance focused features. The addition of a 7,600 square-foot facility will also improve the county’s ability to collect and package household hazardous waste from a more central location, creating greater access for residents.
To improve traffic safety and stream functionality, a replacement bridge on NW Stringtown Road was added at the crossing of Prickett Creek in Washington County, Oregon. In leading the design and delivery of the new structure, a multidisciplinary Otak approach paid special attention to the impacts on adjacent properties, where transportation elements required more space than the existing, outdated treatments.
A Replacement Structure to Improve Transportation Elements and Stream Design
An existing timber bridge on NW Stringtown Road was found to be structurally deficient, prompting Washington County to make plans for its replacement. The new structure includes a wider box culvert with a natural bottom, improving the stream channel of Pricket Creek. With a superelevated roadway, design elements for the bridge also include road widening, guardrail design, and the reconstruction of existing driveways. Close coordination with property owners made space for these updated roadway features while a joint permit application process led to approval for the widened culvert.
In developing a comprehensive solution to the water quality impacts of the Tualatin Moving Forward bond program, the Sandalwood Swale – along with two smaller sites – provides water quality mitigation for all 36 projects associated with the program. Stormwater facility analysis and design for this regional water quality facility was provided by Otak, including conceptual stormwater facility layout and construction cost estimates.
A Bond Program’s Regional Approach to Water Quality Mitigation
As part of the city’s stormwater master plan, the Sandalwood Swale takes a regional approach to water quality mitigation for a number of transportation and pedestrian-focused improvements involving impervious surfaces. With 11.6 acres required by Clean Water Services design to be covered, the swale exceeds that requirement, providing water quality treatment for 19.49 acres of impervious area. The facility itself is a vegetated swale with native plants selected specifically for the area’s environmental conditions that cover its 12-foot-wide bottom and 189-foot length. With multiple parcels coming into the facility, the regional approach is more cost-effective and requires less maintenance than several smaller facilities would offer, while a water quality manhole added upstream is designed to further reduce maintenance. In a location where the community often reported the impacts of flooding, the improved grated inlet is also designed to better collect debris from storm runoff and eliminate flooding issues in the area.
Located along a steep slope between U.S. Highway 6 and the Eagle River, the Eagle Valley Trail provides a multi-use path connecting the communities of Edwards and Walcott, Colorado. The project required extensive collaboration with regional agencies to address the corridor’s challenging topography. In leading the design, Otak also provided a feasibility study and multiple alignments for consideration, including a creative approach that altered the highway to reduce the need for structures on the trail.
A Multi-Use Design and Creative Structural Approach to Fit a Challenging Mountain Corridor
The final design for Eagle Valley Trail met a number of distinct challenges – including maintaining constructability while reaching a specific width – presented by steep mountainous topography and in limiting impact to the adjacent Eagle River. This was successfully achieved in part by utilizing a cantilever concrete trail, with counterbalanced structural slab, supported on an existing concrete wall. The trail’s original design included a new asphalt multi-use path, a pre-fabricated single-span steel bridge, and structural retaining walls along the banks of the Eagle River. After five fundamental section types were developed and discussed, a two-phase approach to this project allowed the team to collaborate with CDOT and ECO Trails to ultimately approve an alteration of the lane configuration of U.S. Highway 6, reducing the need for retaining walls and a bridge. Hydraulic, environmental, and wildlife studies verified the validity of the recommendation prior to final design.
Completing a 10-mile loop, Meadowlark Trail connects multiple trails in the Boulder County Open Space. The 14,000 linear feet of sustainable, soft-surface trail is part of an overall design that meets ADA requirements, creating a public asset that’s broadly accessible to members of the surrounding communities.
Designing a Sustainable and Accessible Trail Network Connection
Existing on the former route of the Morgul-Bismarck Loop of the Coors International Bicycle Classic from the 1980s, the development of Meadowlark Trail connects Boulder County trails with the town of Superior, Colorado. This new link includes the county’s popular Marshall-Mesa trails, Rock Creek, and Coal Creek trail systems. The use of recycled road materials adds a sustainable element to the eight-foot-wide trail. With a portion of the trail spanning challenging terrain, steep side slopes presented a major design consideration for the soft surface trail. Otak led the design in improving this open space park which also included a bridge crossing and the involvement of community stakeholders.
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 11th 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
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.
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