depth, and sheer stress in specific
locations, such as on an embankment
or within a river channel. One-
dimensional modeling doesn’t provide
that. The 2D hydraulic modeling
approach to the design of highway
protection to this canyon project and
other projects undertaken during the
Colorado flood recovery effort sets a
template for future highway design
projects within canyon environments
in similar settings.”
CHALLENGES MET
THROUGH TEAMWORK
Being such a complex project,
collaboration between CDOT, the
contractor, and all the consultants was
key to the project’s overall success,
said Doug Stremel, project manager at
Jacobs.
“This was a very collaborative project
with the design team, CDOT, and the
contractor all in one room,” he said.
“The collaboration drove numerous
iterations as well as innovation that
fed into the resilient design. We were
18│ TRENDS
all on the same page, and the team
really bonded.”
From CDOT’s perspective, other
challenges of the project included
having to maintain access for
residents and service providers during
the shut-down, said James Usher,
CDOT’s Project Director. Also, because
the road led to Estes Park, a town
where tourism is critical, much of the
construction work was completed in
the winter months.
“Being able to construct most of the
project in the winter was a significant
accomplishment,” he said. “We had
people working in sub-zero weather
in a narrow canyon with minimal
sunlight.”
Ayres Associates’ contribution to
the project with regard to hydraulic
expertise was critical to the project’s
outcome, Humphrey said.
“Ayres brought an incredible amount
of technical knowledge to the job,
which was invaluable to the success
of the overall project,” Humphrey
said. “We leaned heavily on (Ayres)
to not only do the hydraulic design
but also communicate the message to
stakeholders on why hydraulics was
such a critical component of this job.”
In the end, the project has greatly
reduced the extensive areas that will
have catastrophic roadway damage
in the event of another flood, Usher
added.
“After the 2013 flood, 12 miles of
canyon were inaccessible. With the
resiliencies that were implemented,
CDOT believes, in the event of another
flood, those 12 miles will be reduced
to about a mile and a half,” he said.
DeRosset agreed, saying that
despite its challenges, he’s confident
the U.S. 34 project has done its job.
“We haven’t eliminated risk
completely, but what we have done
is taken a 12-mile stretch of highway
that was highly vulnerable to future
damage and shrunk that down to very
few limited areas of extreme sheer
stress and erosion,” he said. “In the
end, I think we’ve made the canyon a
better place.”