Eagle Valley Trail Eagle County, Colorado

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 following 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 the met the desired width while maintaining the ability to be constructed within the steep mountainous topography without impacting to the adjacent Eagle River. This was achieved in part by utilizing a cantilever concrete trail, with counterbalanced structural slab, supported on an existing concrete wall. The original design included a new asphalt multi-use path, 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 the 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.