Grand Avenue Bridge Project to Engage Public in Refining Design Features

February 21, 2014 - Northwestern Colorado/CDOT Region 3 - GLENWOOD SPRINGS – The Grand Avenue Bridge project team is moving into a more detailed design phase on the proposed Grand Avenue Bridge; new pedestrian bridge; and supporting changes to Grand Avenue, 7th Street, 8th Street, and the area on the north side of I-70.

To engage the community and consider a wide range of perspectives and ideas, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) has scheduled a series of meetings and workshops to talk about options and preferences for various design elements.

The project team will meet with the Stakeholder Working Group (SWG), community representatives on an Issue Task Force, and the Glenwood Springs City Council to obtain meaningful stakeholder and community input into architectural, landscaping, and urban design features on project elements that directly affect the user experience. Work sessions are planned with City Council on March 20 and April 10.

The SWG workshops are planned for March 13 and April 10 at the Glenwood Springs Community Center. Afternoon and evening meetings held the same day will cover the same topics and offer time options for the community to participate. Anyone interested in attending one of the SWG workshops is invited to contact Susan Jacobs of CDOT at 970-384-3335.

The specific elements that will be discussed are the Grand Avenue Bridge; pedestrian bridge; pedestrian bridge stairs and elevators; restrooms; Grand Avenue between 7^th and 8^th Streets; retaining walls; the pedestrian underpass, landscaping and sidewalks on the north side the bridge; signing; and any additional entry features at the I-70 exit interchange. Participants at the upcoming meetings will start with the input already received at previous SWG workshops, public open houses, and City Council meetings; and will further develop concepts that the project team can incorporate into the project’s design.

These meetings are consistent with CDOT’s Context Sensitive Design process that includes opportunities for public and agency involvement during all phases of a project. CDOT will continue to communicate progress through ongoing meetings with individuals and organizations, media, and project updates to interested parties.

The project team also recently posted a description of the process that led to the recent endorsement by City Council of a double elevator option to provide ADA access from the new pedestrian bridge to 7^th Street. It can be viewed as the last document link on this page: http://www.coloradodot.info/projects/sh82grandavenuebridge/alternatives-development.html.

Those wanting to receive project updates can sign up via CDOT’s free message system by going to www.coloradodot.info and clicking on green cell phone in the upper right hand side of the page. After signing in, scroll down to “Projects” and choose “SH 82 Aspen to Glenwood.”

The project is funded through the Colorado Bridge Enterprise, a government-owned business entity within CDOT. The Colorado General assembly created the statewide Bridge Enterprise via Senate Bill 09-108, also known as FASTER (Funding Advancements for Surface Treatment and Economic Recovery www.coloradodot.info/projects/faster).The purpose of the Bridge Enterprise is to complete designated bridge projects that involve the financing, repair, reconstruction and replacement of bridges designated as structurally deficient or functionally obsolete, and rated “poor” by CDOT.