CSU spends big on bicycle and pedestrian safety
Colorado State has spent $25 million on improvements within the city's right of way, including an underpass of Shields Street.
Kevin Duggan
Pedestrians and bicyclists traveling to and from the Colorado State University campus might feel a lot safer this semester.
Construction crews are putting the finishing touches on an underpass of Shields Street at its intersection with West Elizabeth Street, one of the main access points for the west side of campus.
The $10.8 million project opened to the public late Wednesday. It will be ready to greet students Monday for the first day of classes for the fall semester at CSU, said campus planner Fred Haberecht.
The structure is expected to take thousands of pedestrians and bicyclists out of the Shields and Elizabeth intersection, which carries about 50,000 vehicles each day.
Construction on the CSU-funded project began in December. It ran into difficulties with weather delays and relocating utility lines, but otherwise went well, Haberecht said.
“I think it’s gone very well especially given the inherent difficulties of the project crossing a major intersection in high groundwater,” he said.
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The project is one of several that were built in cooperation with the city of Fort Collins to improve pedestrian access and safety to campus.
Others include an underpass of Prospect Road at Centre Avenue as well as signalized crossings of Laurel Street on the north side of campus and the BNSF Railway line on the east side.
An impetus for the projects was the new on-campus stadium that will have its first game on Aug. 26. But some of safety issues — especially the intersection of Shields and Elizabeth — have been on officials’ radar for years, said Joe Olson, the city traffic engineer.
West Elizabeth Street carries about 2,000 bicycles a day, making it the highest-volume bike corridor in the city, Olson said.
“If there was any place that made sense for a grade separation for bikes and peds, we thought West Elizabeth was certainly it,” Olson said. “There’s been a lot of concern for a long time about all of the students just crossing Shields kind of wherever.”
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CSU has spent $25 million on projects within city rights-of-way aimed at improving access to campus, Haberecht said. Working closely with city officials on the projects made them come together efficiently and on time, he said.
“It really has been a great partnership,” he said.
The underpass of Prospect Road at Centre Avenue opened in November. That project cost $6 million.
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The Shields Street underpass is 14 feet wide, about nine feet tall and 107 feet long beneath the street. Ramps leading down to the passageway are 250 feet long on both sides, said Tim Kemp, a city civil engineer.
Bike and foot traffic will be directed to and from the underpass with signs and pavement markings. In addition to the ramps, stairways on both sides of the intersection connect the surface to the tunnel, which will be equipped with lights and security cameras.
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The project’s design was modified to address concerns expressed by merchants in the Campus West area, including the potential loss and parking and foot traffic.
The city and CSU will share maintenance responsibilities for the underpass, its ramps. stairways and landscaping.
The impacts of pedestrian and bicycle improvements around campus will go beyond game days and other events at the new stadium, Olson said.
“They are going to be beneficial to the community and university every day,” he said.
Kevin Duggan is a Coloradoan senior reporter covering local government. Follow him on Twitter, @coloradoan_dugg, and on Facebook at Coloradoan Kevin Duggan.
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Safety projects
Recent improvements to pedestrian and bicycle facilities around the Colorado State University campus include:
- Shields Street underpass at West Elizabeth Street
- Prospect Road underpass at Centre Avenue
- Signalized crossing at Shields and Springfield streets
- Enhanced crossings of Laurel Street at Washington and Sherwood streets
- Sidewalks on campus along Lake, Whitcomb and Pitkin streets
- Railroad crossings at Lake and Pitkin streets
- Crossings at the rebuilt intersection of College Avenue and Prospect Road