Article Contributed on: 7/23/2008 3:20:30 PM
West Corridor July E-Newsletter
WELCOME
Construction on the West Corridor continues! The bridge girders have been
erected over Kipling Street and bridge construction will begin this month in the
Denver Dry Gulch area. Information is your best vehicle to understanding the
construction activities as we move forward. We encourage you to get up-to-date
information through our e-newsletter and on the West Corridor Web site at www.
RTD-FasTracks.com. The West Corridor information phone line will also be
updated bi-weekly as construction activities develop. Please call 303.299.2000
for information and follow the prompts for West Corridor.
July 2008
In this issue you will find:
1. Construction Update: Find out the current construction activities on the
West Corridor
2. Road Closures and Detours: Understand what traffic control plans mean to
you and your driving plans
3. Thanks to the Design Team: Learn about the group responsible for the
design of the West Corridor Light Rail project
4. Project Safety Spotlight: Find out some job safety precautions that will be
in place during construction
5. Denver Transit Construction Group (DTGG) Team: Get to know the key
players on the construction team
6. Construction Discussion: Don't forget to log on and keep abreast of the
latest construction discussion
7. How Can I Get (or Stay) Involved? Find out where to get more information
on meetings and events, and the best ways to have your questions answered
CONSTRUCTION UPDATE
Kipling Bridge
Construction of the Kipling light rail bridge is currently in the final stages of
construction. After a successful girder placement, crews from Edward Kraemer
and Sons are preparing to pour the concrete deck, scheduled for July 29, 2008.
Kipling Street will be closed from 9:00 p.m. July, 29 through 5:00 a.m. July 30
for the pour.
In an effort to avoid local traffic delays, Denver Transit Construction Group has
scheduled work during the evening hours. Detours during these hours will move
traffic from Kipling Street at Colfax Avenue on the north side of Kipling and 6th
Avenue on the south side of Kipling, to either Simms Street or Wadsworth
Boulevard. As required, local access will be available.
Gulch Bridges
Upcoming construction activity associated with the five Gulch bridges in Denver
is scheduled to begin in mid-July 2008. Initially, Edward Kraemer and Sons will
begin channel improvements in the vicinity of the two existing Dry Gulch bridges
and will immediately follow up by replacing the two train bridges to facilitate
the West Corridor Light Rail.
Concurrently with the two light rail gulch bridges, Meza Construction will begin
operations linked to the three pedestrian bridges within the Dry Gulch, from
Sheridan to Federal. The pedestrian bridges at Wolff Street and Hazel Court will
be the first to start and will be closely followed by the pedestrian bridge at
Tennyson Street. Due to the locations of these bridges, temporary trail closures
within the Dry Gulch Parks will be required in order to ensure the safety of the
public. Denver Transit Construction Group will be working closely with Denver
Parks and Recreation to minimize the closures in an attempt to accommodate
and maintain public access.
Current scheduling indicates that construction of all five of the Gulch bridges
will be completed by the end of 2008.
Utility Relocations
Xcel Energy, Qwest and Comcast continue their utility relocations in Lakewood
and Denver. Consolidated Mutual Water and Lakewood Sanitary Sewer have also
started relocations between Lamar and Pierce Street. Some utility relocations
may require lane and/or road closures. To get detailed information on these
utility relocations, go to the RTD Web Site for a four-week look ahead schedule,
or get general area impacts by reviewing the Utility Relocation Chart.
ROAD CLOSURES AND DETOURS
As construction on the West Corridor moves forward, temporary lane and road
closures may become an impact for residents and traveling motorists. Denver
Transit Construction Group will try to mitigate these impacts by avoiding work
during peak traffic periods and working instead during night and weekend hours.
Before a road can be closed, a Traffic Control Plan is prepared and submitted for
approval to the local jurisdictions, including the Colorado Department of
Transportation (CDOT) if a state highway is affected. The objective of the
Traffic Control Plan is to permit the contractor to work within the public right-of-way efficiently and effectively, while maintaining a safe environment. It takes
into consideration all aspects of the work area, including sight distance, traffic
speed, volume, road approaches, the type of work activity and any special
circumstances that may be unique to the area.
Once a determination is made to temporarily close a portion or the entire
roadway, the area is mapped out to determine where best to institute "soft" and
"hard" closures. A soft closure is the intersection where most traffic will be
moved off the roadway through a pre-approved detour route, while still allowing
local and emergency access. This soft closure mitigates traffic up to the hard
closure and is signed as "road closed." Traffic, including emergency responders,
can travel through the soft closure area and continue through to the hard
closure. A hard closure is the intersection that completely stops traffic through
the work area. At that point, absolutely no traffic is permitted through. These
closures are shared with local emergency responders as they also map out
alternate routes through the affected area.
RTD and Denver Transit Construction Group will work to ensure that residents
and motorists have prior knowledge of lane and road closures and understand the
detour routes available to them. Every attempt will be made to minimize traffic
through residential areas while maintaining access and ensuring safety in the
area.
THANKS TO THE DESIGN TEAM
As we finalize design on the West Corridor we extend our thanks to David Evans
and Associates, the firm that led the final design on the West Corridor since
November 2005. They have had a challenging task as the project design has
taken many twists and turns and has undergone multiple cost containment
exercises. They have led this task with patience and professionalism.
Since it's founding in 1976 as a two-person land development firm in Portland,
Oregon, David Evans and Associates, Inc. (DEA) has become a recognized leader
in the design and management of complex transportation, land development,
water resources, and energy projects nationwide. The firm combines the talents
of more than 1000 engineers, planners, surveyors, landscape architects,
architects, and scientists to provide its clients access to a complete range of
services under one umbrella. DEA maintains offices located in Oregon,
Washington, California, Arizona, and Colorado.
The Colorado office of DEA opened in 1998 with the acquisition of a local civil
engineering firm. Since then, the Colorado practice has grown significantly to
the present staff of more than 70 personnel.
DEA's West Corridor team members have played major roles in final design of
light rail in Phoenix and Portland and in addition to the West Corridor several
individuals have played key roles in all of RTD's existing light rail lines.
PROJECT SAFETY SPOTLIGHT
Trenching and Excavating/Confined Spaces
Field personnel trenching and excavating on the project must obtain a Trenching/
Excavating permit. This permit requires training in the acceptable safe
procedures for this type of work. While trenching or excavating, crews are
required to have proper shoring, benching, sloping, or trench boxes for
protection. This requirement is implemented when employees are entering an
area four-feet deep or greater. When employees need to access or egress from
trenches five-feet and over they must use ladders that are within 25 feet of all
workers.
Similar procedures and policies apply for confined spaces. A permit must be
obtained for admittance into confined spaces and confined spaces must be
tested frequently for air quality. To ensure the safety of workers, a secondary
worker is always required to be at the entry of a confined space. These safety
procedures are enforced on the West Corridor construction sites and violations
are not tolerated. Look for other project safety topics in future newsletters.
DENVER TRANSIT CONSTRUCTION GROUP (DTCG) TEAM
The Denver Transit Construction Group (DTCG) is RTD's Construction Manager/
General Contractor on the West Corridor Project. DTCG will oversee all
operations and subcontractors working on the project.
This month's spotlight features John West, Project Manager.
John is a Civil Engineer with over 30 years experience
in the construction industry. His most recent positions
included Vice President and Area Manager for Connell
Resources, Inc. and Executive Vice President for
TARCO, Inc. John's experience includes project and
operations managers for various construction projects
with a primary emphasis on bridge-related projects.
His professionalism and hard work paid off when the
project he managed, the El Rancho interchange on
Interstate 70, received the AGC of America Marvin
Black Award for successful partnering.
John is the Honorary Chairman of the Curriculum Advisory Committee for the
Construction Management Program at Colorado State University. He has
participated in the Board of Directors for the Coalition for Mobility and Air
Quality, and the Colorado Contractors Association (CCA) where he has served on
diverse board committees and in 2006 became the President for CCA. He was
recognized as Committee Chairman of the Year for work on the Education and
Transportation Policy Committees, and represented the Association on CDOT's
Continuous Quality Improvement Initiative and Design-Build Task Force.
John holds a BS in Construction Management from Colorado State University. As
a Colorado native, John has a passion for the outdoors where he enjoys hiking
and rafting, as well as skiing in the Colorado Rockies with his two children.
CONSTRUCTION DISCUSSION
Last month we introduced the newest feature of our website, Construction
Discussion. To ask a question, find out what other residents have to say about
the West Corridor or chat with your neighbor about the light rail line, go to the RTD Website and follow the links to the West Corridor.
HOW CAN I GET (OR STAY) INVOLVED?
One of the best ways to get information that will help you stay involved in the
West Corridor construction phase is to ensure we have your e-mail address. Our
periodic e-mails will provide you with information essential to staying informed.
As the project evolves, it will be important to keep all members of the
community updated on construction activities. Tell your friends and neighbors
to sign up on our e-mail list to receive up-to-date information, and if your e-mail
address changes, please notify us.
Don't forget to visit our Web site where you'll find all the latest information
about the West Corridor.
Where Can I Get More Information?
Web site: www.RTD-FasTracks.com
E Mail: WestCorridor@RTD-FasTracks.com
Phone: Kathy Berumen, 303-299-2175
Brenda Tierney, 303-299-2401
Mail: RTD West Corridor
1560 Broadway #700
Denver, CO 80202