Laporte Corridor Pedestrian and Bicycle Improvements#
Fishback Avenue to Sunset Street#
Project Update 8/24/23
Upcoming Milestones
- The roadway at the Bridge Project is fully paved, striped, and open to traffic
- September 2023 - Bridge Segment fully complete
- October 2023 - Bike path and sidewalk installation from Stodgy to Fishback begins
- November 2023 - all work complete east of Taft
Update: There will be some remaining work including some of the stonework on the bridge structures, minor earthwork, and landscaping that will be ongoing after traffic is opened on the road. These remaining work items may require lane closures but will only be in effect from 8:30 to 3:30. Two-way traffic will be restored after these hours.
Background#
The Laporte Avenue corridor between Fishback Avenue and Sunset Street currently has several gaps in bicycle and pedestrian facilities. Many locations lack sidewalk and curbs, and the bike lanes are often narrow and not well defined. The corridor also provides access to Poudre High School and has significant bicycle and pedestrian activity with the proximity of the school and residential neighborhoods. There have been several near misses and at least one serious accident involving bicyclists and pedestrians in recent years. There are also two deficient bridges on Laporte Avenue over the New Mercer Canal, just north of Grandview Cemetery.
The project corridor is part of the City’s Low Stress Bicycle Network and is recognized by the North Front Range Metropolitan Planning Organization (NFRMPO) as a high priority for bicycle and pedestrian improvements.
City Staff have gathered feedback from stakeholders, including Poudre School District, nearby residents, and property/business owners. The City also held an open house in October 2019. There is widespread support for the proposed improvements.
There are two projects scheduled to complete the improvements to Laporte, the first is the Laporte Bridges Project which will begin construction in November 2022, and the second is the Laporte Corridor Project which will begin construction in early 2024.
Description and Goals#
This set of projects seeks to improve vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian safety along the Laporte Avenue corridor by addressing deficient sidewalks, adding bicycle lanes, and adding a center reversible turn lane, upgrading the roadway with curb and gutter, and other traffic improvements.
October 2019 Laporte Avenue Open House Materials#
On October 9, 2019, the City hosted a community open house to seek preliminary feedback about the Laporte Avenue redesign. Materials presented at the open house are below.
Bicycle and Pedestrian Facility Options
The Laporte Bridges Project#
The two bridges on Laporte over the New Mercer ditch just north of Grandview Cemetery are past their design lifespan and are not wide enough to accommodate additional modes of travel. The replacement of these bridges needs to happen when the irrigation canal is not running, so the City decided to make their replacement a separate project, the Laporte Bridges Project. This project will replace and widen the two bridges, and add large, separated bike and pedestrian pathways on either side of Laporte from the 7-Eleven to Stodgy Brewery.
- Phase 1
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Construction Phase 1 will begin with utility relocations and work on the north side of the roadway and bridges. This should not impact traffic or pedestrian travel in the area.
- Phase 2
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Phase 2 of the bridge project consists of closing Laporte Ave, only allowing local access. This will be the construction where the bridges are replaced, and the roadway will be rebuilt with the additional pedestrian and bicycle facilities.
- Phase 3
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Phase 3 of the bridge project will open Eastbound traffic back up on Laporte, while building out the sidewalk and bicycle facilities on the north side of the road from Grandview to the Stodgy Brewery.
- Phase 4 - Closeout and Punch List
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Both eastbound and westbound vehicular traffic is open, however there will be closures during the daytime (8:30 - 3:30) to finish up the final touches.
The Laporte Corridor Project#
The Laporte Corridor Project will add safe pedestrian and bicycle facilities to Laporte Ave from Sunset St. to Fishback Ave. (excluding the replacement done during the Laporte Bridge Project). This project will also include improvements to the intersection at Taft Hill and Laporte, improved drainage along the corridor.
- Procure Design Consultant
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The City has accepted proposals from several design consultants and hopes to have selected one by the end of November 2022.
- Stakeholder Engagement
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The City and its Design Consultant will conduct outreach to stakeholders along Laporte to make sure all concerns are considered during the design phase.
- Design Phase
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The City will develop the design for the Corridor Project with input from stakeholders.
- Contractor Procurement
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The City will begin the competitive bid selection process for a qualified CM/GC contractor who will be responsible for building the improvements along Laporte. The contract model selected for this project delivery is Construction Manager General Contractor. This contract model allows the City to accelerate construction and improve design.
- East Segment Construction
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Construction will begin early August. The goal is to complete this work in conjunction with the construction in at the Laporte Bridges Project to minimize the impact and disruption to the travelling public.
- West Segment Construction
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The City's contractor will begin construction of the improvements along the Laporte Corridor West of Taft Hill Rd. including adding the safe pedestrian and bicycle facilities, curb and gutter, drainage improvements, and intersection improvements. The goal of this phase of the project is to deliver the end product with as little impact to the traveling public or adjacent property owners as possible. We do not anticipate the need for extended full roadway closures during this phase.
Other Resources#
Contact#
Tim Sellers | Project Manager | 720-280-6926 | tsellers@fcgov.com