Project name: Animas River Trail
Location: Durango, CO
Owner: City of Durango
Size: 40’ x 10’ / 170’ x 10’ / 40’ x 10’
Points of interest: The City of Durango was seeking a solution for a unique, aesthetically pleasing pedestrian trail crossing to cross the beautiful Animas River in Colorado without exceeding budget. They decided to bid the project out as a “design/build” format in where the owner lists a very minimal set of requirements for the bridge except for perhaps the bridge length & width parameters, and the required bridge loading (for vehicles and pedestrians). Then in cases like this, they also indicate that they want the most cost effective solution, but aesthetics are also of great importance. Then each bidding contractor may team up with an engineer, sub-contractors, suppliers, etc.. and try to come up with the best looking and most economical solution between them. The team Excel worked with chose a lightweight prefabricated “Bow” truss style bridge option, fabricated from weathering steel, with premium tropical hardwood decking. Our team also provided the owner with an add option to include a couple attractive yet purposeful, bolt-in-place – “walk-out” platforms at the center of the longest span. As you can see from the photo(s) – the owner preferred our team’s option and also chose the “walk-out” platforms to enhance the already attractive option.
