CO 42 Pedestrian Underpass Connects Extensive Trail System for the City of Louisville, Colorado
August, 2020
Otak recently completed a pedestrian underpass project for the City of Louisville, Colorado, connecting the city’s extensive trail system to neighborhoods and housing developments. The new underpass, which broke ground in September 2019, will encourage more walking, running, and cycling by strengthening the city’s approximately 32-mile trail network with better connectivity.
Otak was heavily involved in the process that designated the Lake to Lake Trail as part of the city’s 2014 Open Space and Trails Wayfinding project. The Lake to Lake Trail connects Harper Lake, Lake Park, Hecla Lake, and Waneka Lake in Lafayette and may one day extend to Marshall Lake. Additionally, the Lake to Lake Trail contains another underpass previously designed by Otak at McCaslin Boulevard, and may eventually include additional underpasses at the BNSF Railroad and South Boulder Road, as included in the City of Louisville’s Transportation Master Plan.
Led by Colorado’s Active Transportation Manager, Scott Belonger, PE, Otak provided the design for the CO 42 Pedestrian Underpass project, as well as project management services during construction, in coordination with the City of Louisville. The new underpass involved the design and construction of a concrete box culvert (CBC) running underneath CO 42 and Courtesy Road, creating a pedestrian thoroughfare that carries the Lake to Lake Trail. The project also included sidewalks and trail connections at each side of CO 42, and the careful relocation of several utilities and the Goodhue Ditch. The new underpass closes a gap in this important regional trail and also provides improved connectivity to the adjacent neighborhoods.
The CO 42 Pedestrian Underpass project is just one of the recent investments by the City of Louisville in transportation, and supports the city’s goal of safe traveling conditions for pedestrians and motorists. A ribbon-cutting celebrating the opening of the new underpass was held on August 21, 2020.