Garrison garners attention - #lakewoodnews

There will be a few fewer traffic headaches in Lakewood with the completion of construction on the Garrison Street Bridge.

On May 9, community leaders gathered with representatives from the Colorado Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration to celebrate the project's completion.

"This work being done is a big deal for people," said Shailen Bhatt, CDOT executive director. "Not only that, but the project was done on time and under budget."

Later in the week and farther on down the road, Mayor Adam Paul introduced the city's cyclists to the new Garrison Bike Station at West 13th Avenue and Garrison Street. The station was highlighted on a bike tour Paul was doing of northern Lakewood with residents.

"It's great to be here like this," said Paul at the start of the bike tour. "This is the first event like this we've had, and I'm excited to see the city this way."

The Garrison Street Bridge was originally built in 1962, and had to go through some serious repairs to be back in optimal shape. Now drivers have greater visibility on U.S. 6, improved drainage, wider lanes on both U.S. 6 and Garrison Street, better sidewalks, improved signals, bike lanes, artwork integrated to the design and lighting under the bridge.

The new Garrison Bike Station ties into Lakewood's longest north-south bicycle route with a dedicated bicycle lane through most of it. It's also across the street from the Garrison Station for the W light rail line.

The highlights of the station include that it's free and makes it easy to ride to the station, park the bicycle and commute to points east or west without having to bring the bicycle on the light rail. The station is covered, which provides protection from the weather and secure locking facilities for about 20 bicycles.

Here are some of the best things we heard at the events:

1. Kevin Brown, CDOT resident engineer: "We used alternative construction methods and innovation in our contractors on this project. There is now a 75-year design life on the new wall here. The difference between a successful project and a smoldering hole in the ground is leadership, and we worked together to plan and react to any situation appropriately and productively."

2. John Cater, Federal Highway Administration division administrator: "One of the great things about working in transportation is having the opportunity to tangibly see what you're working on come together. It's great to see a project that fits into the community like this. But we can't just be building highways - we have to look at other transportation methods. "

3. Adam Paul, Lakewood mayor: "It's great that there's going to be a public art piece to this, which really makes it a living piece of infrastructure."

4. Shailen Bhatt, CDOT executive director: "There are two things that make projects like this work - hard work and funding. Without funding, these projects just don't happen."

5. Gary Harty, founder of Lakewood Bicycle Advisory Team: "Lakewood really brought this event together, and it's a fun thing for all of us to try."

from Lakewood Sentinel - Latest Stories http://lakewoodsentinel.com/stories/Garrison-garners-attention,213614