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Dreams of a second bridge

Christopher Kelley
Posted 2/16/23

On Tuesday, February 7, 2023, at 10 a.m. Town of Nederland staff, members of the Board of Trustees, and local residents met at the Weir pedestrian bridge to discuss viable options for a second

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Dreams of a second bridge

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On Tuesday, February 7, 2023, at 10 a.m. Town of Nederland staff, members of the Board of Trustees, and local residents met at the Weir pedestrian bridge to discuss viable options for a second bridge across the creek. Those who attended were led on a short walking tour through town to view four different locations identified as possible options for the proposed bridge.

The idea of a second bridge has been discussed in Nederland for several decades. The discussion has involved it being either a full-access street bridge or a pedestrian bridge with emergency vehicle access. With the proposed bridge connecting the Big Springs neighborhood to Boulder Canyon Drive it would provide a much-needed egress route during a wildfire. However, it was made clear from the comments provided by those in attendance at Tuesday’s meeting that a second street bridge for everyday vehicle traffic would allieve the majority of the congestion clogging Nederland’s sole traffic rotary.

Town Clerk Macy Caligaris, Community Planner Britt DeMinck, Parks Department Director Nicki Dunn, Town Administrator Miranda Fisher, Mayor Billy Giblin, Christopher Rivera of the Planning Commission, and Nathan Skalak of Nederland’s engineering consultants firm JVA were all in attendance for Tuesday’s meeting. Trustees Tania Corvalan, Jesse Seavers, and Nichole Sterling of the Nederland Board of Trustees were also there, representing their constituents’ interests.

The four locations identified by Town staff as viable options for the second bridge included the Weir Bridge, Fisherman’s Lot, 100 East 1st Street, and West 1st Street. The group visited each location on the North side of the creek. Fisher specified before the tour began that the meeting was just a preliminary discussion on the identified options and that communications with the involved property owners have yet to be initiated.

The Weir Bridge extends across the Barker Reservoir at the base of the creek, adjacent to TEENS Inc. at the far end of Fisherman’s Lot. The pedestrian-only bridge is owned by the City of Boulder, while Boulder County owns the land right up to the retaining wall on the South side of the creek. Also, as the bridge is located in a water supply, the state of Colorado also has a say in what happens with the land.

Dunn noted that though the Weir Bridge is not an ideal location for the proposed second bridge, the town still desires to widen the bridge for bike and stroller access and update it to be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Dunn also mentioned that the City of Boulder has said that they may wish to completely replace the bridge in the near future.

The location known as Fisherman’s Lot is a town-owned parcel at the corner of East 1st Street and East Street. The land has been identified by a subcommittee of the Planning Commission as an ideal location for a parking lot, but also has been tagged by Eldora Mountain Ski Resort to be made into a wetlands, with that projected slated to begin this coming May.

In 2017 Dunn had worked with former Town Marshal Larry Johns to propose to the Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Advisory Board (PROSAB) the construction of a 97 foot long bridge that would extend from the corner exit of Fisherman’s Lot into Chipeta Park. PROSAB voted to deny Dunn’s proposal due to not agreeing with the design, which was a railroad trestle bridge design that would have cost the Town $70,000 just six years ago.

Dunn detailed to the group at Tuesday’s meeting how an emergency route could run from Lakeview Drive across Chipeta Park to connect to the bridge, with Town Staff assisting in the direction of traffic. The bridge would block regular traffic with a padlocked ballast in the center of its access points, though with three feet wide accessibility on either side for pedestrian, bike, stroller, and wheelchair access. The ballast could be easily unlocked and removed to allow vehicles to pass during an emergency scenario.

Dunn also noted that the bridge would not interfere with the wetlands to be constructed on Fisherman’s Lot.

The property of 100 East 1st Street, adjacent to Igadi and across the street from the Snyder Garage, is currently owned by Ron Mitchell and Nederland Central Business District Redevelopment LLC and has been utilized as an unofficial parking lot for many years. The 1.2 acre parcel is currently zoned as High Density Residential, with the owner Mitchell having proposed to the Nederland Planning Commission on January 25, 2023, to rezone the parcel for Central Business District in order to construct a paid parking lot.

The Planning Commission denied the proposal. The property on 100 East 1st Street has since been barricaded due to a disagreement between Mitchell and the Town over the temporary moratorium on any downtown development.

A second bridge across the creek at 100 East 1st Street would directly connect Conger Street, on the South side, to Snyder Street. Again, the bridge would be pedestrian-only but with access for emergency vehicles and/ or access to regular vehicles during a state of emergency. However, building a bridge connecting public land to private land would be a quasi-judicial matter that would require the Town to seek an easement from Mitchell.

In order for the Town of Nederland to own the bridge in this scenario, apart from seeking an easement the Town could purchase the land from Mitchell directly or they could claim the land due to the Town’s need for emergency evacuation routes and planning. Fisher stated that Mitchell is open for discussion on the matter.

The final location took the group up onto West 1st Street, past the back of the privately-owned Wolf Tongue Mill land. An old stone bridge already exists across the creek; the proposed bridge would connect West 1st Street to West Spring Street in the Old Town neighborhood. The bridge would be connecting private industrial land to private land and therefore would be the most expensive undertaking of the four suggestions.

The group discussed how the construction of a second bridge would assist Town staff with other traffic and mobility issues in Nederland. Dunn spoke of the necessity to make the Town more ADA compliant. Mayor Giblin mentioned the importance of Nederland having a proper emergency plan in place to safely escort citizens across the creek. Fisher added that the Town is working with the Office of Disaster Management in order to update its evacuation routes.

Members of the public who were present for the meeting asked Town Staff about the possibility of petitioning CDOT to widen the current traffic bridge. Dunn assured that the Town’s relationship with CDOT has been better and that potential work on the current bridge can be amicably discussed.

Thoughts on whether to make the proposed second bridge a street bridge open to all traffic were also discussed. Skalak from JVA suggested to plan for the bridge to be constructed for all uses. The conversation, centered on an all-access street bridge, then became focused on reorganizing the traffic flow through town, constructing a second rotary, and choosing the optimal “pinch points” for converging traffic.

Mayor Giblin spoke to the group about the next steps to be taken on the plan to build a second bridge somewhere in town. Town Staff and Trustees identified the Fisherman’s Lot proposal and the proposal for 100 East 1st Street as their most ideal options. Trustee Corvalan wished to know what Dunn’s railroad trestle bridge design would cost now, and how much it would cost to “beautify” a cheaper, more pragmatic design rather than potentially spend more money on a purely cosmetic design.

The Nederland Board of Trustees can put the matter of a proposed second bridge on their agenda as a Discussion Item, though Fisher noted that an Emergency Action Study needs to be completed before any action on the second bridge project can be taken.

Skalak stated that JVA will begin the preliminary assessment work on the two options, concerning the size and design of the bridge, as well as the cost, and also the effects the construction of a bridge would have on the floodplains of both locations. JVA will be expected to produce the assessments and design drafts in time for a March 21, 2023, Town Hall meeting with the public.