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.
Community-supported design guidelines for development projects helps support the growing RiNo Arts District in Denver, Colorado. At the neighborhood’s request, these design guidelines were prepared not be enforced by the city, but by the RiNo Business Improvement District (BID) to ensure the neighborhood continues to control the process and allows for the creativity that is a hallmark of the community.
Encouraging Community Development with Creative Control
To help the BID leverage peer pressure in this process, Otak created a rating system associated with the design guidelines that will celebrate excellent projects. Otak presented the ideas and concepts to key community stakeholders, to the three RiNo boards, and at public meetings. As a result of feedback through this community process, and the anticipated future additional density around the 38th and Blake commuter rail station, RiNo felt that more powerful tools were necessary. To address this, the team led a community process to create a RiNo Design Overlay Zone. This overlay zone will provide stronger protection for key community values and require affordable housing for larger projects. Otak developed these ideas for RiNo, but former City Council President Brooks and Community Planning and Development also intended to use these ideas for the entire station area, including the affected parts of Globeville, Cole, and Elyria-Swansea.
After over 100 years at the heart of downtown Twin Falls, Idaho, Main Avenue would undergo a major reconstruction to make a number of physical improvements while maintaining its historic context. The design delivers a full streetscape and urban design that rebuilds seven blocks of downtown, incorporating existing township plans alongside extensive community engagement.
As the first major project of downtown Twin Falls since the early 1970’s the reconstruction of Main Street addressed a long list of needs from accessibility and pedestrian safety, to adding vibrancy through color and better sightlines around businesses with redesigned landscape features. Elements included street pavement and traffic flow, sidewalks, furnishings zone treatments, utility connections, public gathering spaces, parking management, furnishings, wayfinding, and branding. The design focused on community utility also added curbless festival street (shared street) segments for special events, a public plaza and concert stage, restroom and storage building as well as an overarching integration of public art and historic interpretation. The successful master plan and preliminary design by Otak was followed by the team moving through final design and engineering for the signature downtown Twin Falls project.
Expanding capacity for a busy intersection in a growing area of Colorado, improvements at CO 7 (East Baseline Road) and 119th Street also add multiple pedestrian and transit-focused features. Otak led the construction management of this project which align with a broader vision by the city for improvements throughout the corridor.
Constructing Multimodal Improvements to an Intersection
In the southeastern portion of Boulder County, approximately one-mile northeast of downtown Lafayette, this was originally a four-way, signalized intersection with one travel lane in each direction. Along with capacity expansion, additional left turn lanes and right turn deceleration lanes were included. Transit queue jump lanes, bike lanes, and sidewalks on the western side of the intersection were among the multimodal design features. Bus rapid transit (BRT) stops were also built in the northwest and southwest quadrants of the intersection. Additional right-of-way (ROW) was required to complete these improvements as part of larger goals for increased connectivity for the community.
A section of SH 119 called the Diagonal Highway exists in what was once considered the outskirts of Boulder, but has since become a very busy area. Reconstruction of the Diagonal Highway was designed to improve roadway durability and drainage while adding pedestrian and bike facilities where there were none.
Complex Multimodal Design, Unique Roadway Elements
This complex design includes an extensive new drainage system, off-street bike lanes, multi-use paths, and improved transit facilities. With 400 trees, 4,400 shrubs, and 2,000 perennials, a number of landscape features were integrated into the design. The added green space is supported by a new irrigation system as well as three rain gardens that collect, store, and filter rain water and storm water runoff to naturally remove pollutants. Public spaces, including art plazas, were part of an emphasis on adding community value. Otak managed the design of this multi-phased project along with significant coordination between multiple departments within the City of Boulder, CDOT, RTD, and community stakeholder groups.
Enhancements to Main Street and the commercial district of Lyons, Colorado design pedestrian mobility, active transportation, drainage, and streetscape improvements. Sidewalks and crossings with refuge islands along US 36 also include bike lanes throughout the corridor.
A pedestrian crossing at the Stone Canyon intersection involved a streetscape design that accentuates multi-modal use. The Otak team brought this project from concept to completion while working extensively with the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) throughout the process in achieving a roadway cross section that met the City of Lyons transportation goals.
As part of planning efforts for the Denver metro area, the Southeast Metro Stormwater Authority (SEMSWA) aimed to map disproportionately impacted communities as part of meeting a task order to develop an environmental justice technical presentation. Otak harnessed ArcPro’s spatial analysis tools to map overlays of identified communities (low income, minority communities, and housing cost burdened communities) throughout the SEMSWA service area with Colorado’s EnviroScreen data to show where impacted communities overlap.
Utilizing GIS Mapping to Improve Stormwater Service to Disproportionately Impacted Communities
In producing the “SEMSWA Service Area Environmental Justice: Disproportionately Impacted Communities” presentation, SEMSWA planned to pursue voluntary inclusion of environmental justice considerations in providing services, and prepare for possible inclusion of environmental justice requirements in future permitting. The intent of the map is to identify areas with environmental inequities, pinpoint areas that have disproportionately impacted communities (communities with greater health burden and/or face more environmental risks), and geographically identify disproportionately impacted communities (DICs) based on the definition in Colorado’s Environmental Justice Act. A geographic union was created in GIS to graphically show where multiple DIC communities overlap. The effort intersected SEMSWA’s maintenance areas with the DIC analysis results. By overlaying EnviroScreen data they could better identify areas of interest where SEMSWA provides services that appear to meet the definition of disproportionately impacted communities under the state law.
With the goal of re-establishing its floodplain connectivity, the restoration of St. Vrain Creek enhances aquatic habitats, restores riparian health, and improves stream resiliency. The multi-objective design incorporates features to mitigate future flooding and moderate sediment loads from inundating the Town of Lyons.
Restoring a Floodplain for More Resilient Habitats and Community Flood Mitigation
Central to the design development was a thorough understanding of sediment dynamics and hydraulics. Sediment dynamics were assessed by modeling and comparing reach-scale capacities. The restoration involves approximately 3.2 miles of South St. Vrain Creek, extending from the canyon mouth to the Old St. Vrain Road bridge near the Town of Lyons. Channel hydraulics were assessed by 2D modeling of the study area using the Sedimentation and River Hydraulics 2D (SRH-2D) model, developed by the Bureau of Reclamation. The model informed the design with an understanding of the complex linkages between main channel and floodplain flow, including floodplain benches, overflow channels, and more than a dozen large wood structures throughout the reach. The project team worked with stakeholders to collect feedback and turn concerns into project goals. Otak led the channel restoration design, 2D hydraulic modeling, geomorphology, and sediment transport analyses for this CDBG-DR grant-funded restoration project.
The City of Louisville faced a major challenge in improving South Boulder Road At-Grade crossings to ensure pedestrian safety while also managing federal requirements and associated documentation. Improvements at 5 different intersections involved the installation of pedestrian signals and would all be completed in accordance with CDOT local agency requirements.
Managing a Federally-Funded Project for Pedestrian Safety Improvements
Improvements to South Boulder Road addressed critical issues such as tie-in elevations at each intersection, and updated 30 plus year old traffic signal equipment with new high-intensity activated crosswalk (HAWK) systems while ensuring 13 ADA ramps meet all requirements. As a federally-funded, CDOT agency project, the project involved significant documentation. In close collaboration between all stakeholders, the Otak team led construction management, inspection, and materials testing services. Issues with tie-in elevations of the existing asphalt and the new asphalt were quickly resolved with field adjustments derived from a deep understanding of design concepts which ultimately led to 3% savings on the overall bid.
Adding to an existing trail system, the Airport Road Pedestrian Underpass provides safe crossing beneath eastbound SH 119, as well an at-grade crossing on the roadway’s westbound lanes. The design by Otak was completed while accounting for high traffic volumes, working in close coordination with the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), and includes a number of solutions aimed at optimizing the trail user experience.
Innovative Structural Solutions for a Safer Trail Experience
While adding approximately 4,000 linear feet of trail, the Airport Road Pedestrian Underpass incorporates several innovative design solutions to optimize the user experience. A unified drainage system that addressed the high groundwater table and retaining wall system to avoid tight right-of-way (ROW) impacts are among those design solutions. Groundwater mitigation – with consideration of adjacent wetlands – along with cast-in-place aesthetic features are also included. To facilitate two phases of construction, the project included a temporary shoofly roadway in completing utility relocation, lighting, signal modifications, and modifications to existing driveways.
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