University of Colorado Boulder planners are inviting public input on a flood-mitigation project that would include removing a pair of bridges over Boulder Creek and replacing them with one.
The $3.8-million project includes removing the 21st Street Bridge and the Stadium Bridge that is just to the east. Both bridges connect Parking Lot 169 on the north side of the creek to pedestrian paths on the south side of the creek. CU Boulder is applying for funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency that would cover 75 percent of the cost of the project, with the university planning to fund the other 25 percent. The project is contingent upon Board of Regents approval in June.
The new bridge, to be constructed about 75 feet east of where the Stadium Bridge is now, would connect Lot 169 with the Buff Walk pedestrian thoroughfare that runs along the east side of Folsom Field.
The rendering shows the planned 23rd Street Bridge, as viewed from the east, that would link the Buff Walk on the east side of Folsom Field to Parking Lot 169 on the north side of Boulder Creek.
The project is aimed at lowering the 100-year floodplain in the area, reducing the risk for surrounding residents and their property. Both the 21st Street Bridge and the Stadium Bridge sit within the 100-year floodplain, causing increased potential for debris blockage and increased flooding in the area. In addition, the Stadium Bridge’s connecting path to Stadium Drive was eliminated by construction of new athletics facilities at the northeast corner of Folsom Field. The main structure of the new bridge, which would align roughly with 23rd Street, would sit above the 100-year floodplain.
The map shows the location along Boulder Creek of the proposed 23rd Street Bridge in relation to the two existing bridges that it would replace. Click image to enlarge.
This project does not impact replacement of the 19th Street pedestrian bridge, which was destroyed during the 2013 flood. That bridge is being replaced through other funding mechanisms.
For the new 23rd Street Bridge project, CU Boulder is seeking to utilize the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), which is administered by the state Office of Emergency Management and is funded by FEMA.
The HMGP provides grants to states and local governments to implement long-term hazard mitigation measures after a major disaster declaration. The purpose of the HMGP is to reduce the loss of life and property due to natural disasters and enable mitigation measures to be implemented during the immediate recovery from a disaster.
Because the 21st Street Bridge, which was built in the 1930s, has been deemed historic, a memorandum of agreement between the Colorado Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, FEMA and CU Boulder must be signed, outlining measures that will be taken to preserve the history of the bridge like historical markers or the possible reuse of materials in the construction of the new bridge.
Part of that historic preservation process requires providing the public an opportunity to have input on the project. A public comment period will remain open until May 12. To provide feedback on the project, please complete this quick online survey.
Questions about the project can also be directed to Brian Moffitt, project manager supervisor, CU Boulder Facilities Management, by emailing brian.moffitt@colorado.edu.
CU planners are proposing the removal of the 21st Street Bridge and one other pedestrian bridge along Boulder Creek and replacing them with a new raised bridge in a mitigation effort to lower the 100-year floodplain.
