Charlie from Lone tree writes, “What’s driving you crazy? I work over at the Schwab campus and we heard rumors of a pedestrian bridge that will go across Lincoln Ave. Is that true because we joke that one of us are going to get hit one day trying to walk over the shops on the north side of Lincoln?”
Charlie, I can confirm the rumors of the pedestrian bridge over Lincoln Ave. Lone Tree calls it the Leaf Pedestrian Bridge. As you can see from the pictures provided by Hamon Infrastructure, the company constructing the bridge, the signature feature is a large leaf on the south side of the bridge that will be about 78 feet high.
The leaf is more than just aesthetics. It acts as part of the suspension bridge’s engineering, supporting six pairs of steel cables that hold the structure in place. Hamon says the addition of this pedestrian bridge will alleviate safety and traffic concerns, like yours as you try to walk across Lincoln Ave. Nearly 90,000 cars a day drive on Lincoln Ave.
John Cotton, Public Works Director for the City of Lone Tree tells me the bridge will ensure pedestrian and bicyclists’ safety, improve the flow of traffic on Lincoln, link the north and south areas of Lone Tree, and connect businesses on both sides. Cotton added, “The new bridge will also connect the North Willow Creek Trail to the East-West Regional Trail.”
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Construction on the $7 million bridge was planned several years ago but work was on hold until Lone Tree City Council could come to an agreement with the owner to purchase a small plot of land, less than an acre, on the north side of Lincoln Avenue just west of Heritage Hills Parkway.
Hamon says now that they have an approved project schedule, the start date is set for next month. They tell me they their yard will be set up in early February and work on the caissons and retaining walls will start in the last week of February. They plan to open the bridge this spring.
Denver7 traffic reporter Jayson Luber says he has been covering Denver-metro traffic since Ben-Hur was driving a chariot. (We believe the actual number is over 20 years.) He's obsessed with letting viewers know what's happening on their drive and the best way to avoid the problems that spring up. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter or listen to his Driving You Crazy podcast.
