About LORIS - News Articles

September 29, 2000

Adams County Bridge - A Statement in Style

Boulder, Colorado September 29- Imagine it is the 1870s and you need to cross Clear Creek near where I-76 is currently located. You can either pay a hefty toll to go over the local mountain man's bridge, or cross for free at Lowell Boulevard, thanks to the farmers working and living north of the current I-76. Eventually everyone crossed at the free bridge, and the history of the many bridges crossing Clear Creek on Lowell Boulevard began.

The next bridge was small allowing only one vehicle at a time to cross, and the inevitable accident occurred causing extensive structural damage. The third bridge was a reinforced, wider renovation of the second. Then in 1997, Loris and Associates, a Boulder-based structural/civil engineering firm, was selected by Adams County to design a new structure, affectionately named Bridge #42.

The Project

Adams County Bridge #42, located north of Regis University on Lowell Boulevard, is a $1.6 million, three-span structure. The 190-foot bridge blends elements of this diverse North Denver community, taking its cue from the architectural style of nearby Regis University and other neighborhood design elements. This is the first Adams County bridge designed with extensive architectural aesthetic treatments including colored concrete walls, masonry veneer, and decorative railings. Local resident and active member of the public process for this project, Gloria Rudden, stated, "The design is beautiful and it adds to the community."

In addition to the veneer, the structure itself was designed with aesthetics in mind. The bridge was designed and constructed using concrete butted box girders. The butted boxes allowed the many unsightly utilities hanging off the bottom and sides of the old bridge to be enclosed within the bridge structure. This enhances the look of the structure as well as making the bridge safer and easier to construct.

The new bridge blends aesthetics, functionality, and safety. The new bridge is almost 2½ times the width of the original. The new bridge is 57 feet wide with two lanes, one turn lane, and two eight-foot sidewalks on both sides. This increases safety of drivers and pedestrians. Residents of the area have already been enjoying their new "freedom" of being able to walk or ride across the bridge, or and sit and enjoy sunsets and the adjacent wildlife area without worrying about "getting hit by a car." Also improved was the pedestrian trail along the southern abutment, and the parking area for that trailhead.

Construction was a major concern for the surrounding residents, especially the farmers and elderly citizens north of the bridge and south of the railroad tracks in that area. Trains frequently stop on the tracks, blocking Lowell Boulevard for hours at a time. Therefore, if bridge construction closed Lowell to the south and the railroad closed Lowell to the north, those citizens would have no way out of their homes. More importantly, rescue/service vehicles would not have access to those residents. The bridge was constructed while keeping Lowell Boulevard open, by using the old bridge when constructing the new, and then demolishing the old and finishing the new. Also, the entire project (bridge and roadway) was designed without any right-of-way acquisition.

Community

Public process was an important component of this project. Three public meetings were held throughout the design process. This community involvement from the beginning of the project gave residents a sense of ownership and pride. The community voted on the final design of the bridge, which helped the project proceed smoothly. Adams County project manager, Besharah Najjar, said that the bridge will accommodate 100-year flows with no overtopping, and caused minimal environmental impact. "We have a bridge that is pleasing and fits within the environment."

Contractor - SEMA Construction, Brighton, Colorado

Stone and brick veneer subcontractor - Mission Masonry, Parker, Colorado

Roadway/sidewalk subcontractor - Quality Paving , Henderson, Colorado

# # # LORIS is a full service structural/civil engineering firm offering engineering services to a wide array of projects from buildings, bridges, roads, trails, special structures, and building sites to clients across Colorado. Our offices are located in Lafayette, Colorado. At LORIS we are "Mastering the Art of Engineering Structures and Infrastructures." For more information on LORIS, contact Ashley Giron at (303) 444-2073 x 602 or agiron@lorisandassociates.com.