Laporte Avenue Corridor Multimodal Improvements Fort Collins, Colorado
With several gaps in bicycle and pedestrian facilities and two deficient bridges along Laporte Avenue, this corridor in Northern Colorado was redesigned to suit the multimodal goals of the community. Otak led the bridge and roadway design – including local art, an emphasis on sustainable materials, and a historic bridge railing monument – in completing this project with a construction manager/general contractor (CMGC) delivery method.
Sustainable Materials Meet Multimodal Bridge Replacements
For a corridor that had experienced persistent safety issues involving bicyclists and pedestrians, this project is part of the city’s Low Stress Bicycle Network and was recognized by the North Front Range Metropolitan Planning Organization (NFRMPO) as a high priority area for improvement. The corridor also provides access to Poudre High School with significant bicycle and pedestrian activity within proximity of the school and residential neighborhoods. Using EcoPact concrete – a low carbon concrete mix from Holcim – the roadway design addresses many locations that lacked sidewalk and curbs, as well as often narrow bike lanes were not well defined. In all, the multimodal project improves vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian safety along the corridor by addressing deficient sidewalks, adding bicycle lanes, and adding a center reversible turn lane, replacing two deficient bridges (east of Taft Hill Road and north of Grandview Cemetery), upgrading the roadway with curb and gutter, and other traffic improvements.
With concrete, asphalt and other common materials used in transportation development representing a significant portion of global carbon emissions, the use of recycled materials can limit that environmental impact. In designing the roadway and bridges along the Laporte Avenue corridor, the team sought to implement sustainable strategies to reduce the project’s overall footprint. The design included the use of recycled asphalt pavement (RAP), low-carbon concrete for all cast-in-place elements, and up to 97% recycled steel used for structures. In all, the project used nearly 1,300 tons of recycled materials. The project also utilized warm mix asphalt – produced in plants at cooler temperatures – along with a CAT Paver that meets EPA Tier 4 emission standards.
In redesigning two bridges found in the Laporte Avenue corridor, a section of the existing historic bridge railing was repurposed as a monument that includes an interpretive plaque. The team also coordinated with local artists to incorporate original art in public spaces surrounding the structures and further integrate the area into the community.
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