LINKING LOOKOUT
APWA PROJECT OF THE YEAR – LINKING LOOKOUT
Congratulations to the City of Golden for (almost) finishing the Linking Lookout Project and winning the American Public Works Association (APWA) Project of the Year Award! You will find the report on page 54, here.
The City of Golden in Colorado was the agency that managed the project, with Kraemer North America performing duties as the primary contractor. Muller Engineering Co did primary consulting. APWA’s Colorado Chapter nominated the project for the award. Under the category of Transportation and budgets ranging from $5 million to $25 million, Linking Lookout came in first!
SAFETY AND ACCESSIBILITY
The purpose of the project is dual. For one, the flow of traffic through the needs to be improved. Colorado’s growing population is putting pressure on our existing infrastructure, and expansions need to be made. Many people in charge of serving the people of Colorado with improved roads have wanted a complete beltway around the metro area. The citizens of Golden are naturally concerned about having a major highway cut right through their picturesque little town. Unfortunately, space is limited in the area due to the mountainous terrain.
Another issue is that a major thoroughfare, US 6, cuts through parts of the town. For that reason the communities under Lookout Mountain separate from the rest of Golden. Likewise, this separates many students at the School of Mines from their campus. This is why they chose the name Linking Lookout. Consequently, a beautiful “lid” was put over the highway. Now the community of Golden links together with Lookout Mountain. As a result, safety and mobility are better for all users, especially bikers and pedestrians.
DRONES – THE TOOL OF THE FUTURE
In this picture, Melissa Crocker captured the scale of the project, with the use of her DJI Phantom 4 drone. There is also more footage from the ground and from above at the attached link to the City of Golden website.
Finally, Lookout Mountain is one of the world’s most beautiful biking routes. Parts of the popular bike race, the Colorado Classic passes through here. Because of this project, accessibility to Lookout Mountain, which is enjoyed by thousands of people every weekend, will be enhanced and made safer. Furthermore, the City of Golden became even more picturesque, when it covered up a busy highway. Drones are very useful tools, both on marketing and documenting projects. In addition, they provide a safe and cost-effective way that helps construction crews finish projects faster.
Linking Lookout
City of Golden, Colorado
