by dvmosomy | Thursday, September 12, 2024 |
Fishers Peak, standing at an elevation of 9,633 feet, is an iconic landmark in southern Colorado, serving as a majestic backdrop to the City of Trinidad. In September 2019, the vast 19,200-acre expanse known as the Crazy French Ranch was transformed into Fishers Peak State Park (FPSP), marking Colorado’s 42nd State Park. This ambitious endeavor was made possible through a collaborative effort involving key partners, including Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), The Nature Conservancy, Trust for Public Land, Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO), and the City of Trinidad. Right from the outset, the project was guided by two fundamental pillars:
To offer world-class recreational opportunities while preserving and promoting the park.
To ensure long-term ecological conservation.
The Fishers Peak State Park Master Plan, meticulously crafted by THK Associates, Inc. and ERO Resources, serves as a comprehensive blueprint for infrastructure development. It outlines the envisioned future state of the park and aids in determining its long-term physical development. The Master Plan was developed through a collaborative and interactive process, informed by both scientific expertise and the sentiments of the public. Engaging over 300 stakeholders, including local Native American Tribes, the plan adeptly strikes a balance between the imperative of safeguarding the park and the opportunity for meaningful human access and recreational activities.
Furthermore, the Master Plan establishes overarching management objectives and strategies. It identifies various management zones within the park, each tailored to the existing natural resource conditions. These zones range from enhancing and managing development areas to conserving and preserving the park’s natural resources. The Master Plan envisions a diverse range of uses, encompassing recreational activities, wildlife and habitat conservation, the protection of natural resources, trailheads, parking facilities, and the creation of a visitor’s center.
The Fishers Peak State Park Master Plan was finalized in the fall of 2020, marking a significant milestone. Subsequently, the THK Team designed an initial trailhead and unveiled twelve miles of trails in conjunction with the completion of the Master Plan. In 2023, an additional six miles of trails were added. Currently, construction is underway for a one-mile trail leading to the summit of Fishers Peak. This ongoing work is part of the broader vision outlined in the Master Plan, which seeks to make Fishers Peak State Park a cherished destination for residents and visitors alike, while safeguarding its ecological integrity.
by dvmosomy | Thursday, February 1, 2024 |
Beginning in 2012, THK was contracted to develop the architectural design for the Veterans Memorial Tunnels portals and landscape restoration of the mountain slopes. These tunnels replaced poorly functioning tunnels originally constructed in the 1960’s. Completed in October of 2015, the Veterans Memorial Tunnels widened both the east and west tunnel bores, from two lanes in each direction to three lanes, providing significant traffic mobility improvements to the I-70 Mountain Corridor.
A major traffic mobility issue with the existing tunnels was the ‘black hole’ effect that slowed traffic approaching the tunnel entrance. The ‘black hole’ physiological phenomenon occurs due to the visual contrast between the lighter colored tunnel head walls (portals) and the darkness of the tunnel. THK designed the tunnel portals and the landscape restoration around the tunnel portals to reduce the visual contrast between the tunnel, tunnel portals and mountain side. The amount of tunnel portal visible to the approaching motorists was minimized and the restored mountain side was darkened with evergreen vegetation. Increased lighting within the tunnel was also added to reduce the visual contrast.
Additionally, the flat tunnel head walls were replaced with a spiral designed structure where the tunnel hood transitioned into a 200 foot long wing wall that extends out to meet the approaching motorists to draw the traffic into the tunnel. The spiral wing walls double as a sound attenuation wall for the trailhead and rockfall protection for the I-70 motorists. THK utilized 3-D visualization tools to design the tunnel portals and the mountain slope restoration. The 3-D modeling created by THK allowed the design team to study different design concepts by simulating the drivers experience as they approached the tunnel. Traffic engineers, roadway engineers, geotechnical engineers, tunnel engineers and THK’s landscape architects worked to refine THK’s concepts for the tunnel portals to best meet mobility and safety goals. Numerous configurations were explored very quickly and very easily presented to stakeholders and decision makers to achieve the best solution in under a month.
The whole project, from environmental clearances through final construction, was completed in a little over four years.
by dvmosomy | Thursday, February 1, 2024 |
THK Associates, Inc. was contracted by CDOT to assist in the landscape and aesthetic redesign of the US 6th and Wadsworth interchange in Lakewood, CO. This interchange requires extensive redesign to meet the increased vehicular and pedestrian capacity and safety issues in the corridor.
THK is working closely with CDOT, the City of Lakewood and RTD to develop landscape concepts for the proposed medians and interchange quadrants along Wadsworth. The medians and landscape areas incorporated design elements from other completed medians in the City as well as added identity elements and enhanced this interchange as the “gateway” to the community. Additional work performed on the project includes irrigation design, environmental mitigation, gulch restoration and reestablishment and aesthetic concepts including custom form liner development.
Over the course of the project, THK has developed landscape and aesthetic concepts, facilitated Project Leadership Team and Technical Team Meetings, prepared and submitted 60% (FIR), 90% (FOR) and 100% (DOR) construction drawings including cost estimates and tabulations for the landscape, irrigation and aesthetic components.
THK’s work on US 6th and Wadsworth is ongoing. Construction of the interchange complex will be done in phases. Phase I was completed Fall of 2015.
by dvmosomy | Thursday, February 1, 2024 |
In 2007, THK Associates provided urban design and landscape architectural design services on the initial planning for the New Pueblo Freeway. THK was responsible for the development of the visual character of the project.
THK was responsible for leading an interactive process with the community to determine what the character of the new freeway should be. Workshop attendees took photos of the things they felt were elements of what make up the character of the Pueblo community. From these photos, THK developed aesthetic concepts for the architecture and landscape of the New Pueblo Freeway. The design concepts for the freeway were to reflect the different neighborhoods that the freeway passes through, the cultures, heritage and architecture. This resulted in different treatments along the freeway but with some repetitive elements to give the freeway an overall character.
Since this time, THK has worked with CDOT and the City of Pueblo on the I-25/Ilex Design Guidelines and Owners Representative for the I-25/Ilex Design Build Project.
The New Pueblo Freeway Aesthetic Guidelines
The New Pueblo Freeway Aesthetic Guidelines address the aesthetic treatment of the New Pueblo Freeway and various impacted areas of the City of Pueblo, including the I-25 corridor and portions of the Fountain Creek and the Arkansas River floodplains.
The Aesthetic Guidelines provide direction on the aesthetic treatment of highway improvements such as gateway features; vehicular and pedestrian bridges; noise/retaining walls; interpretive elements; signage; pedestrian connections and landscaping and irrigation.
From 2003 to present, THK has been responsible for leading an interactive process with the community to determine what the character of the new freeway should be, and has been successful maintaining the vision set by the community and City of Pueblo as the projects move to final design and construction. THK is working with CDOT and the City of Pueblo on the I-25/Ilex Design Guidelines and Owners Representative for the I-25/Ilex Design Build Project.
by dvmosomy | Thursday, February 1, 2024 |
I-25/SH 50-47 Interchange: THK was responsible for the bridge architecture on five bridge structures and the landscaping of the interchange to create a northern gateway statement for the City of Pueblo.
THK created five unique yet complementary structures. The family of bridges were developed reflecting a hierarchy of importance. Each bridge has its own character, symbolizing nature and Pueblo’s heritage in steel production.
The landscaping at each structure was designed to support the hierarchy of structures through the use of formal and informal design aesthetics.
The I-25/SH 50-47 interchange is the northern terminus to the New Pueblo Freeway.
