With 2,300 feet of multi-use path located within a challenging and constrained corridor between Maroon Creek Road and the cliff-like banks of Maroon Creek, the Aspen Highlands Trail connects the City of Aspen Recreation Center with the Aspen Highlands Ski Area. Steep drop-offs routinely found within feet of the trail offered unique opportunities for both structural solutions and scenic features.
A Low-Impact, Active Transportation Connection Designed Around Challenging Mountain Constraints
In the steepest areas, two bridges (85 foot and 150-foot spans) were used to fit the path between the roadway and Maroon Creek Canyon. Other bridges, retaining walls, guard rails and concrete barriers account for narrow corridors situated throughout the trail. A concrete barrier/retaining wall combination was used to lower the path grade and best fit the existing terrain wall, providing a greater level of separation and protection for path users. A thickened concrete edge is included to fit the existing grade and provide a anchorage location for a side-mounted railing. These constraints also provided great opportunities to design a trail with beautiful views across Maroon Creek Canyon. The path was designed to provide overlook areas to make use of the exceptional views. Boulders uncovered during construction were used in the overlook features and natural stone aesthetic treatments were used to match other City of Aspen parks. While minimizing impact, site materials and the incorporation of existing vegetation provide a natural look and feel throughout. The project also included a raised pedestrian crossing at the entrance to Aspen Highlands ski area.
This multi-use path provides a safe, user friendly, and aesthetically pleasing connection between multiple trails through the Cemetery Lane corridor in the city of Aspen, Colorado. A 550-foot-long pedestrian bridge carries the trail through the most difficult segment while another 150-foot span pedestrian bridge crosses over the Roaring For River in Henry Stein Park.
A Multi-Use Path and Pedestrian Bridges to Connect A Mountain Trail Corridor
Positioned high in the Rocky Mountains, a Design Concept Report for Cemetery Lane Trail evaluated the cost and expected impacts of various path alignments, structure types and locations. The project was holistically designed to incorporate traffic calming features to improve the overall safety of the trail corridor while connecting the Aspen Airport Business Center (AABC) Trail with the Rio Grande Trail. An innovative use of structures, retaining walls, and safety features were required to fit the multi-use path within a narrow right-of-way and difficult terrain. Intensive agency and public involvement was required, including coordination with the City of Aspen, Aspen Consolidated Sanitary District, Pitkin County, CDOT, Aspen Valley Land Trust and the Cemetery Lane Neighborhood Task Force.
As one of the most visited areas of Grand Teton National Park, the Snake River is renowned for its accessibility to various outdoor recreation activities such as fishing and float trips. Between aging structures and damage to local ecology as a result of visitor use, Snake River in Grand Teton National Park sought to improve its two of its primary access points (Pacific Creek and Moose Landing) and add new access just below Jackson Lake Dam. This Otak multidisciplinary approach would assess the scenic waterway to maintain its integrity, update water access points and expand in scope to include new visitor facilities.
Improved Visitor Use Meets Waterway Integrity
Over time, changing visitor use patterns and deteriorating water access points began to negatively impact the area’s riparian ecosystem as well as Snake River’s overall visitor experience. Improvements at Snake River focus on enhancing the visitor experience and sustainability of its facilities. Geomorphic and hydraulic assessments helped determine optimal site locations, design concepts, and characterization of fluvial hazards at the proposed sites. These studies determined the current trajectory of the channel as well as potential risks to any new investments in infrastructure along the river. The design created sufficient parking, hardened facilities to keep visitors out of sensitive areas as well as new fishing platforms, shade structure, restrooms and boat ramps to make recreational use safer and more accessible.
The existing structures at the Fall River Entrance Station, built in the 1960s as part of the Mission 66 program, were aging to the point of contributing to employee health and safety concerns. Along with an entrance station needing to handle increasing visitation numbers, updates to the facilities would be designed.
Addressing Park Health, Safety, and Congestion with a New Facilities Design
Rocky Mountain National Park had concerns with the Park Fall River Entrance included poor air quality from exhaust fumes of queuing vehicles and inadequate space for completing shift reports, taking breaks, and coordinating work tasks. The entrance station also needed to be updated to address these problems and to handle increasing numbers of visitors as well as even more diverted traffic from Beaver Meadows to reduce traffic congestion and delays in Estes Park on US Highway 36. Through this task order, Otak is completing an integrated process following NPS protocols and requirements that includes predesign and schematic design of alternatives, completion of an environmental assessment and assessment of effect (EA/AEF) and preparation of a full schematic design report.
Envisioned as a 3,800 sf Net Zero building, the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center includes spaces for exhibits, conference and training rooms, and offices. The design allows the facility to act as a hub for visitor activities, including refuge tours, and interpretive and environmental programs. The Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge is 16 miles northwest of Denver on the grounds of a former nuclear defense facility. The site is generally undisturbed and provides habitat for a number of threatened and endangered species. Otak is providing architecture, landscape architecture, and structural engineering services for this visitor center.
Now the nation’s premier urban National Wildlife Reserve, Rocky Mountain Arsenal has evolved over the decades. The site once served an Army facility associated with weapons manufacturing during WWII before being decommissioned and transitioning to its current use as a wildlife refuge. With increasing park use, new administrative facilities would be designed and built to improve operations as well as visitors’ experiences.
Expanding Features in a Sustainable Design for a Park’s Growing Use
The site had 250,000 visitors in 2015 and expected to soon eclipse 1 million annual visitors. Otak, as a subconsultant, provided architecture, landscape architecture, and structural design services for a new headquarters building and meeting facility for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) administrative staff, separate from visitor facilities. With a focus on sustainability, the new facilities were designed with a minimum LEED Gold standard. Solar readiness and daylighting strategies were included to lower the energy requirements for lighting and cooling, while the stone siding is locally sourced. The project consists of a 4,200 square-feet headquarters building, a 1,000 square-feet meeting annex building, a 56-space parking lot, realignment of entrance driveways and gateway features, expansion of the existing parking lot and associated hardscape, landscape, and utility systems.
With the goal of enhancing the economic viability of West Pearl in Boulder, Colorado, the street is redesigned to make it more inviting for visitors of the Pearl Street Mall to continue their adventures past 11th Street. The collaborative effort with local landscape architects focuses on pedestrian mobility while making improvement to facilities throughout the corridor.
Updating a Streetscape to Encourage Economic Growth and Pedestrian Mobility
To create a cohesive identity along the corridor, the West Pearl Streetscape was updated using sandstone benches, pavers, and planting beds. Trees were removed and replanted as required and allowed through the city’s strict tree removal policy. Pedestrian mobility was improved by constructing bulb-outs at all intersections and adding a raised crossing at 10th. Custom eight-feet-tall illuminated sandstone kiosks were installed at intersections to provide wayfinding. Bike racks were installed at various locations and bus stops were also improved. Civil engineering challenges included reducing sidewalk cross-slopes and improving drainage facilities throughout the corridor. The area’s sidewalk cross-slopes greatly exceeded ADA maximums, so they were reconstructed with strict grading details while accounting for existing building access points. Rather than increasing the curb height to accommodate this change, the slope of the parking zone was reversed (to be upward instead of downward), and drainage conveyed in a pan rather than along the curb. Elimination of a free-right turn lane at 9th and Pearl adds to the pedestrian safety improvements. The project required careful construction phasing in order to minimize any disruption to businesses. Portions of the sidewalk were infilled in order to maintain access to doorways, and city blocks were constructed sequentially to minimize the amount of parking lost due to construction at any one time.
To serve as an urban park as well as a major multi-modal transportation conduit, the Linking Lookout Interchange is designed to improve connectivity on each side of US 6 in Golden, Colorado. The two-span, 160-foot-long and 280-foot-wide bridge improves vehicular level of service while increasing safety for what had been one of the area’s most accident-prone intersections. As the structural engineer-of-record and a subconsultant to IMEG, the Otak design team worked closely with Edward Kraemer and Sons, the CMGC, to develop the design, construction phasing, and construction cost estimates for this $30 million project.
A Structure Designed to Safely Add Multimodal Connectivity and Public Space
The overall concept was to improve connectivity from the residential areas on the west side of US 6 to the Colorado School of Mines campus located to its east. The multimodal design now allows vehicles, bicyclists, and pedestrians cross safely over the busy highway on their way between downtown Golden and other local destinations. Comprised of side-by-side, pre-stressed girders, the bridge the bridge has nearly 70,000 square feet of retaining walls are soil-nail and MSE. To create an urban park setting, up to 10 feet of fill and trees were added on top of the bridge deck, along with picnic tables, park space, and a small amphitheater. To minimize the load on the structure, earthen fill was replaced with styrofoam block in critical areas. Waterproofing of the bridge deck, below the earthen fill, was a critical consideration because the structure would be covered by earth, grass, and pavement, and could not be inspected from above.
In collaboration with the City of Glenwood Springs, 1.3 miles of trail along Three-Mile Creek and the Roaring Fork River was designed to benefit the community. A portion of the trail is located between the western bank of the Roaring Fork River and the historic Atkinson Canal.
Designing a Multi-Use Path with Minimal Environmental Impact
Our team worked closely with the City of Glenwood Springs Community Development and the River Commission to develop a plan for a 10-foot-wide concrete path with two-foot soft surface shoulders; a four-span pedestrian/bicycle bridge underpass at the Sunlight Bridge; trail amenities such as overlooks, picnic shelters, and beach access; and improvements to the trailheads. We designed the trail with minimal environmental and hydraulic impacts because of the sensitivity of the surrounding area.
The 29-acre cloverleaf intersection of Colfax Avenue and Federal Boulevard is one of the most dangerous intersections for pedestrians and bicyclists in Denver. A study to reimagine the space identified opportunities for safe bike-pedestrian connections, proposed zoning for land gained by simplifying the intersection, and visualized what this intersection could look like if some or all the existing infrastructure was modified.
An Urban Design Study and Vision for Multimodal Infrastructure
The busy intersection near downtown Denver presents a significant barrier to bike and pedestrian connections from neighborhoods to the west and community resources such as the Decatur-Federal Station, Platte River Trail, and Mile High Stadium to the east. To gather ideas and expertise for this complex visionary project, Otak led a design charrette with stakeholders, including the Colorado Department of Transportation, the Regional Transportation District, Denver City Council, Denver staff, developers, neighborhood organizations, and advocacy groups. Otak also presented the design ideas at multiple public meetings and supported a parallel tactical urbanism project that aimed to highlight the opportunities presented by a revision of the area. Otak’s efforts are being used to spur redevelopment funding and implementation.
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