LONE TREE LEAF BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION COULD START IN JUNE 2016

Lone Tree picks builder, architect for bridge
Pedestrian structure may get underway in June

Lone Tree Leaf Pedestrian Bridge

Fentress Architects, designer of the Denver International Airport terminal, created the leaf pedestrian bridge concept for Lincoln Avenue approved by the Lone Tree Council June 16. This photo illustration shows what the bridge would look like from the perspective of a driver heading west. Courtesy art

The City of Lone Tree has chosen the builder and the architect for its estimated $6.8 million pedestrian bridge project.

The city signed a pre-construction agreement with Hamon Construction for an amount not to exceed $51,000. The contract with Fentress Architects for schematic design is not to exceed $174,150.

The bridge would extend over Lincoln Avenue at Heritage Hills Circle, west of the Charles Schwab corporate campus and Bank of the West. It would connect the Willow Creek Trail, allowing pedestrians and cyclists to get from city amenities like RidgeGate’s Lone Tree Arts Center and new Lone Tree Library location to north-side gathering places like the Cook Creek Pool and the Entertainment District.

“These are short-term contracts that are really for the architect and the contractor to come together in a room and start discussing what the plan will be to get the pedestrian bridge built,” city spokesperson Kristen Knoll said.

Knoll said the builder and architect will be flushing out the timeline and cost of the project.

Construction is tentatively scheduled for June, but is subject to change.

A council meeting is scheduled for April 5 where more contracts and details of the project will be finalized prior to the start of construction.

The Leaf Bridge, as many have begun to call the project, will include an 85-foot-tall metal leaf sculpture.

About $3.5 million of the bridge’s cost will come from other entities, including South Suburban Parks and Recreation, Douglas County government, the Park Meadows Metro District, Coventry Development and Omni Park Metropolitan District.

City officials say that by connecting the two sides of town with the pedestrian bridge they will not only increase Lone Tree’s walkability, but also foster more sense of community.

Article written by Mike DiFerdinando from LoneTreeVoice.net