The City and County of Denver, Colorado, has embarked on a program to address a broad spectrum of public improvement projects. Parsons is serving as an extension of Denver’s Public Works Department by acting as program manager and construction manager for their Integrated Construction Program. This program encompasses 28 environmental, transportation, stormwater, parks, recreation, and school-related projects. Many of the projects are in heavily pedestrian and trafficked downtown areas, and each project presents unique challenges. Parsons is managing multiple projects at the same time by drawing on our extensive resources.

Larimer Street

The first project to be completed under this program was the reconstruction of historic Larimer Street, which is in a popular shopping and restaurant district. The work had to be scheduled after the holiday retail season and before spring activities that bring large crowds to the area, which added the challenge of working in Colorado’s winter weather. The street closure required special scheduling to accommodate valet service and commercial loading concerns at affected businesses, heavy pedestrian traffic, and a residential nighttime noise ordinance.

The Larimer Street reconstruction included replacement of 11-inch thick concrete pavement, new curbs and gutters, minor sidewalk replacements, and new corner treatments with handicap-accessible ramps. It was completed ahead of schedule with an extensive amount of work accomplished in a very tight timeframe. Disruption to affected businesses was minimized by removing the entire street in one day, and completion of construction work in only 10 days. This project was featured in the article ‘Block of Fire’ (by Dick Brasher, Roads & Bridges magazine November 2006). In addition, it was selected as one of the top ten projects nationwide for 2006.

Florida Outfall

The Florida Outfall project upgraded the stormwater system and eliminated localized flooding by creating new channels into a commercial lake and a box culvert outfall into the South Platte River. 1200 linear feet of box culverts, approximately 12-feet by 8-feet in size, and 500 linear feet of 108-inch diameter reinforced concrete pipe, were installed to carry storm water to an existing lake. At the outlet into the lake, a sedimentation pond was constructed to minimize water quality impacts. At the lake’s discharge point into the South Platte River, a new box culvert outfall was constructed through an embankment to provide for controlled release.

This project required excavation under three heavily trafficked main railroad lines and two major light rail lines without disrupting train schedules. Special permitting and coordination were needed to bore a 10-foot tunnel under the tracks through bedrock. We also had to coordinate multiple utility relocations throughout the new channels, working with the respective utility providers. Excavated material from the culverts will be used at the new Aqua Golf driving range, where the discharge lake is located, for embankments and parking lot reconstruction.

City Park Esplanade	East High School Plaza

One of the school-related projects Parsons completed was the City Park Esplanade project located in front of East High School. All construction had to be completed in the short time that school was not in session. The historic boulevard had a landscaped median with a single lane of traffic in each direction, and it was flanked by diagonal parking. Reconstruction included installing a new storm sewer system, regrading the street and median, adding a bike lane, reconfiguring the parking to parallel parking, and rebuilding the curbs and gutters. A portion of the main High School entry plaza was also reconstructed, and asphalt was replaced with new concrete which was designed to resist cracking and melt snow. The concrete mix included poly fibers for crack resistance, and it is colored to attract heat and melt ice.

Old Electric Fountain in the middle of Ferril Lake	New fountain vault on dredged lake

The Montclair Ferril Lake project consists of constructing a new storm line in a major city street and modifying Ferril Lake in Denver City Park. The lake serves as a stormwater detention pond and a recreational facility. The project includes dredging and regrading Ferril Lake by rebuilding the existing walls surrounding the lake, creating new intake/outlet structures, and replacing the historic Electric Fountain in the middle of the lake. The Electric Fountain was built in 1908 and featured jets whose patterns and colored lights could be controlled by an operator. The operator would make the fountain dance while the Denver Municipal Band played. By 2005, only two of the original 12 water features could be operated. The new fountain will be restored to its complete historical operational capabilities. Dredging was performed during the winter so that heavy equipment would not sink in the lakebed, and the cold temperatures also reduced odors from the mud. Crews removed over 100,000 cubic yards of frozen lake mud. To visualize the volume of sediment removed, it was as large as a 60-foot deep football field.

Snow removal

Light Rail Station Enhancement

Parsons also was tasked with an unplanned project in late December of 2006. Severe snowstorms during the holiday weeks almost paralyzed the state of Colorado, leaving up to three feet of snow throughout Denver. Parsons was asked to assist the City with snow and ice removal. We mobilized and had crews on the streets within 4 hours. Parsons and its subcontractors cleared over 10,000 city blocks, and we removed 300,000 cubic yards of snow and ice.

Parsons is providing a wide range of resources to supplement the City and County of Denver’s Public Works Department through their Integrated Construction Program. With our team’s expertise, Denver is building for the future and addressing deferred maintenance in a timely, cost-effective manner.

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