Stagecoach Bridge & River Restoration Project meeting at the Lyons Fire Protection District Station #2, with additional information
9/19/17, 6-8 pm
General Information:
- Total Project budget is approximately about $3,315,000
- Of this amount, $800,000 is allocated to the bridge only. Of this, about $150k was used for design and engineering. $600,000 will be used for construction.
- The river restoration portion is divided into two parts:
- RIVER Part 1
- Lot 34 (LTRA, Rd Ass’n) and Lewis property from the bridge down to the old Browning bridge.
- This amount is about $2,254,000 (about $250,000 of this was for design and engineering, including engineering below the Browning bridge for the Lewis extension portion). The rest is for construction, permitting, legal, accounting.
- RIVER Part 2
- Lewis “extension” construction (below the Browning Bridge) is about $260,000.
- RIVER Part 1
- There are 5 sources of funding for the project that LTWC worked for 4 years to acquire:
- (1) DHSEM (Colorado Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management)= bridge
- (2) NRCS (a division of federal US Department of Agriculture via their EWP–Emergency Watershed Protection program = River Part 1
- (3) DOLA and (4) CWCB; DOLA (Colorado Department of Local Affairs). CWCB (Colorado Water Conservation Board under DNR, Department of Natural Resources) = 25% match to the EWP. DOLA also paid for the design and engineering.
- River restoration Part 2 is funded by (5) Northern Colorado Water Conservation District (NCWCD).
- A 6th local government entity involved is Larimer County who has agreed to put all these components together as one project for implementation. This was done at the request of LTWC.
- The design and engineering is done for the river work Parts 1 and 2 (Tetra Tech completed this work)
- Larimer issued an RFP (Request for Proposals) for contractors to design the bridge and the bridge design is done now too. AVI completed this, working with Tetra Tech.
- Larimer issued a second RFP for the construction to do the work for all components. There were 7 bidders on the construction contract.
- Lawrence Construction was the lowest bidder & came in under AVI (the design/engineer’s) estimate.
- Q: Is there quality concern on taking the lowest bid?
- A: Lawrence can keep their costs down using local resources (reduces hauling costs), the project is a big contract, large contractors are hungry for projects and can conduct them efficiently. Lawrence has a good track record, been around 90 years, and has worked with Larimer County before.
- Smith Environmental will be sub-contracted to carry out the river restoration portion of project, Parts 1 and 2.
- Tetra Tech will be contracted for river construction oversight to ensure their river design is implemented as planned.
- Q: What will be done to prevent sedimentation down stream of project?
- A: a diversion channel will be in place along with sediment pools downstream. Conditions are relatively dry. Chris from Larimer County will be at the project daily along with Ted from Tetra Tech and can be notified of any problems.
- Two weeks (from 9/19/17) until Larimer County gets the construction schedule.
- Work will start by Oct. 13th.
- Work may go into Jan. on the bridge, but river restoration work will be done by Dec. 29th
- Bridge work must be completed within 100 working days, or by mid-March 2018 at the very latest.
- Average time for projects to be completed post disaster is 3-5 years, so 4 years is average.
- There will be continuous access across the river throughout the project.
- Lawrence will construct a detour above the current bridge before closing the old one. Early on they will install a message sign.
- Larimer County requires Lawrence to provide them a schedule and LTWC will provide that schedule to this website for residents to see.
- Lawrence needs to clarify if the road will need to be closed for the girder erection – would likely be done at night. Would be one night with advance notice. This is not certain to be needed.
- Q: Is there a website for the project with maps etc.?
- A: LTWC will create a page on this website.
- Q: Will the restoration or bridge work occur 1st?
- A: Lawrence will be providing a schedule. They plan to use larger material from sediment removal in river in the temporary detour as the first step
- Staging will occur on the right (if heading north just past bridge on that temporary pull-out which is Tom’s property) while allowing Tom access. Lot 34 will be used for some stockpiling and moving material from one place to another.
- Q: Will the power pole location be changed?
- A: No, it will stay where it is. This decision was based on cost.
- Q: Will there be turn around space at the location of old fire station?
- A: There will be 30 feet as a turn around.
Bridge:
The bridge will have shallow footings because of the siltstone & bedrock below, which can be used for support. The girder will be constructed from weathered steel prefabricated by Big R and brought in pieces to assemble. The driving surface will be concrete.
- Has a tight budget
- The length is 71’ from outside – outside edges.
- There is no center pier. Current bridge has three 7’ culverts underneath.
- New bridge will have crash rated railing.
- Couple foot difference in elevation from one end to the other was taken into account.
- There is 8’4” from bottom of the girder to the bottom of the bridge. Combined with channel work the bridge will convey 10 yr. flood waters.
- Q: Will there be long term maintenance?
- A: Bridge is designed to last 75 years. CDOT inspects every 2 years and reports to Larimer County. Larimer will be responsible for minor repairs such as chip and seal.
- Q: What is the load capacity of the new bridge?
- A: It’s a standard highway bridge: HL93. Can hold an 80,000 lb semi. Larimer requires an 85,000 lb carrying capacity. These bridges usually have a 93,000 lb carrying capacity in reality. The temporary road will likely not be able to hold as much weight.
- Q: How wide will the bridge be?
- A: The width will be 31’ with lanes 14’ each.
- Q: Will the cold temperatures affect the concrete?
- A: Contractors have a method of testing first. They frequently build during the winter. Heating blankets can also be used if necessary. Delays are allowed for cold weather/snow storms.
Environmental:
- Q: Will people and cars be kept off the plantings?
- A: Soil retention blankets will be placed on the ground nearest the road. There will be isolated tree plantings. Fencing is not paid for by EWP (Emergency Watershed Protection) funds. Possibility of placing a few strategic boulders; suggested size of 9.5”. Perhaps a neighborhood patrol could occur, though that gets awfully old.
- Q: Will the plantings take at this time of year?
- A: Yes, they’re pre-grown in nurseries and will be planted during their dormant season.
- There will be up to 5 seasons of environmental monitoring post construction. Lot 34 will be monitored for 3 years, the Lewis area for 5 years.
- Q: What if the ground cover dies?
- A: Ground cover is required so it will be replaced.
Communication and Schedules:
- Residents would like communication from LTWC every 2 weeks, or in the case of substantial changes, including when traffic will be diverted.
- Would like to see information posted on LTWC website. Those will be posted on a tab under the Stagecoach Project page
Maps:
- Residents requested maps and specifications. Those are posted on a tab under the Stagecoach Project page
Traffic:
- Traffic diversion to temporary route will occur at the beginning of project and remain in place for most of the duration.
- The temporary road will have 2 lanes, be gravel, and have culverts underneath.
- Emergency vehicles were considered in the design.
Present at Meeting to respond to questions: