To further maintain the integrity of the community, a network of seven pedestrian bridges was designed and constructed so residents could use the new multi-use trail constructed as part of the project unthreatened by vehicular traffic. The pedestrian bridges and multi-use trail were linked to a 27-mile network called the Utah and Salt Lake Canal Trail that traverses the entire valley. The community is also home to the 20,000-seat USANAAmphitheater, a popular concert venue. As the trail runs adjacent to the amphitheater, the team regraded the slopes to provide an easier walk between the amphitheater and trail. With these measures, the community gained a new amenity that already has proved quite functional and popular. Minimal future modifications The second key requirement from UDOT was that Mountain View Corridor could be seamlessly — and cost effectively — upgraded to the freeway configuration for the future phase. The design was future-proof so that today’s intersections can be con- verted to interchanges for the freeway. To facilitate that upgrade, the team designed the future interchange ramps to be the current intersec- tion roadway. Then in the future, the new interchange and bridge can simply be “dropped in.” For vehicular bridges, the design paid considerable attention to girder spacing and layout, optimizing the girder spacing to accommodate future bridge widening for the freeway. Now, when UDOT widens the bridges, the girder spacing will continue evenly with minimal bridge deck reconstruction. Again, the need for minimal modifications will save time and money later. A template for collaboration All members of the design-build team had previous experience with projects where community participation was paramount. For the
Mountain View Corridor, however, the team wanted to go beyond outreach and awareness sessions to facilitate more active community involvement. Inviting residents and business owners to project sites was a key for transforming them from bystanders to project advocates. When they saw with their own eyes what was explained in meetings, it enhanced the team’s credibility and went a long way to establish- ing mutual trust. As newly transformed project advocates, they could convey their first-hand observations to neighbors who couldn't visit the project site on their own. Strong word-of-mouth communication as well as engagement on personal and the CRB’s social media channels helped broaden the community’s understanding of the project. As part of the team’s agreement with UDOT, a portion of incentive payments were tied to a community survey about their satisfaction with the overall design and build. West Valley residents were asked to grade the team in each of six areas. To be eligible for full incentive premi- ums, the team needed to average a 95 percent approval rating across the six areas. Because of the stellar public engagement efforts as well as the high-quality design-build product, the team earned the necessary high marks by West Valley residents. The project was also a win for UDOT, the design-build team, and the West Valley. This achievement was recognized in the American Coun- cil of Engineering Companies Utah Engineering Excellence Awards competition, where the project won a Merit Award in the Transporta- tion category. Perhaps most importantly, this segment of the Mountain View Corridor project provided a template for community-contractor collaboration that can be adopted for other initiatives. J. DARREN BURTON, P.E., is senior project engineer for Michael Baker International. BRYCE JAYNES serves as project manager for Ralph L. Wadsworth Construction Company.
TRANSPORTATION
Safe spaces NACTO’s Global Designing Cities Initiative launches Streets for Kids program.
Streets are dangerous places for kids: 500 children die each day in road crashes in cities around the world. Daily activities such as commuting to school, running errands, or otherwise traveling around a city are of- ten unpleasant and stressful, with children and their caretakers exposed to speeding traffic, hazardous obstacles on sidewalks that force them to walk on the roadbed, and unhealthy vehicle pollution all negatively impacting their physical and mental wellbeing. Street designs that consider the needs of children and their caregivers have been shown to improve road safety and quality of life. City agencies are looking for guidance on strategies to reclaim their streets and make them safer, more comfortable, and more inspiring for children. Through the Streets for Kids program, NACTO-GDCI will develop child-focused design guidance to inspire leaders, inform practitioners,
The National Association of City Transportation Officials’ Global De- signing Cities Initiative (NACTO-GDCI) launched Streets for Kids, a multi-year program to develop new technical guidance and advance street designs that create safe public spaces for kids of all ages to learn, play, and move around a city. The program is made possible by support from the Bernard van Leer Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Botnar Foundation, and the FIA Foundation.
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csengineermag.com
june 2018
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