Relief is on the way for a six-mile segment of Colorado’s notoriously congested I-70 Mountain Corridor, beginning with a $31-million design engineering contract awarded to Atkins by the Colorado Dept. of Transportation. Part of a route between Denver and Glenwood that has become increasingly burdened with higher traffic volume in recent years, the section between Floyd Hill and Idaho Springs will undergo improvements such as replacing deficient infrastructure, adding a lane to increase capacity, and curve safety modifications that should improve travel speeds and sight distance while also helping to reduce the number of accidents. In addition to addressing resiliency and rockfall in Clear Creek Canyon, the project will provide a frontage road connection to improve emergency access and mobility during severe weather and facilitate efficient freight movement.

Kimley-Horn

Gold Line BRT

Design is complete on the METRO Gold Line, Minnesota’s first bus rapid transit line, which will connect St. Paul with its eastern suburbs. Lead designer Kimley-Horn integrated the new 10-mile transitway and 21 stations along a corridor largely parallel to Interstate 94. Approximately 70% of the route will have bus-only lanes. Major construction is set to get underway later this year, with passenger service beginning in 2025.

Arup/WSP

Link21 Transit Program

The joint venture of Arup and WSP is providing planning and engineering services for Bay Area Rapid Transit’s Link21 program, which aims to create a faster, more integrated transit system across a 21-county region. The multi-project program includes the new Transbay Rail Crossing, which will connect Oakland and San Francisco through a new rail service across the San Francisco Bay. The crossing will help address high levels of congestion in the existing Transbay corridor as well as provide a direct connection for regional rail riders.

RS&H

Harkers Island Bridge Replacement

A 45-year-old two-bridge span connecting Harkers Island, N.C., with the mainland is on its way to being replaced with a single, 3,200-ft long fixed structure that will include a 45-ft-high navigation span over the Straits Waterway. The RS&H design team had to consider a variety of issues in shaping the structure, including integrating new approaches on existing causeways in the sensitive coastal environment. Upon completion of the new bridge in 2025, the existing structure will provide pedestrian access to a midpoint fishing island.

Photo: VHB

VHB

Long Bridge

The sole railroad bridge connecting Virginia and Washington, D.C., will soon have some company. VHD is performing preliminary engineering on the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority’s plan to complement the existing Long Bridge with a new two-track bridge and associated infrastructure. Along with eliminating existing congestion issues and improving system reliability, the expanded four-track Potomac River crossing will provide additional capacity to support expected increases in freight and passenger rail traffic in the corridor.