The Capitol Building Advisory Committee heard a schematic design for a pedestrian walkway that would link the Colorado State Capitol to Lincoln Veterans Memorial Park and create an accessible route to the First Amendment Free Speech Plaza. The project team described the walkway as part of statewide 150th-anniversary programming and said the feature will integrate artwork by Colorado artists while preserving the site's historic characteristics.

Danielle Olivetto of the governor’s office introduced the project and said it is being driven from the governor’s office as part of a suite of projects connected to the 150th celebration. Christina Eldrenkamp of Studio Gang and Tina Bishop of Mundus Bishop presented design details, describing a winding elevated "canopy walk," an east-end civic landing adjacent to the Capitol, a crossing called Lincoln Pass and a park landing at the northwest corner of Lincoln Veterans Memorial Park. "This is the first accessible pathway that gets you onto our First Amendment Free Speech Plaza," Olivetto said.

Designers described key constraints and goals: maintain the Capitol's historic view plane, preserve a large open lawn for civic engagement, integrate art and durable Colorado quarried materials (marble, sandstone, granite and steel), and meet accessibility and traffic-clearance requirements. The team said the walkway would provide a gentle 1:20 slope intended to avoid handrails and enable access to the plaza, and that clearance over the roadway was about 17 feet to meet a required 16 foot 6-inch minimum. Studio Gang noted the design skirts the established view plane to protect mountain views from the west steps.

The project will incorporate public art selected from a statewide call. The team said it received 159 artist applications and anticipates narrowing those to about 20 artist teams working in multiple media. Artwork will be integrated into the walkway surface, guardrails, lighting and freestanding sculpture, and the program will include a companion website for educator and visitor interpretation.

Speakers raised concerns about specific design elements. Committee members asked about the height and footprint of a stone wall and seating feature at a garden area, the number and removal of mature trees in the park, graffiti protection for walkway surfaces, and whether the elevated structure was necessary for connectivity or more of an architectural statement. Senator Ball questioned the bridge's use case and who will use the structure. Mr. Prince, representing the State Historic Preservation Office, relayed preliminary support: "we do not have any large preservation concerns, with the design of this project," and described the walkway as a monument within a landscape that has historically acquired monuments over time.

Project staff identified a sequence of regulatory and stakeholder reviews that remain to be completed: further committee review, a Capitol Development Committee review, the state historic preservation review, and City of Denver encroachment and right-of-way permitting (described at the meeting as a tier 3 encroachment) and Department of Transportation and Infrastructure coordination. The team also reported outreach across Denver and statewide listening sessions, engagements with Civic Center Conservancy, parks and landmark staff and coordination with the family and artist for the Joe Martinez statue.

No formal committee vote was taken during the presentation; committee members discussed a potential on-site walkthrough before the committee's July meeting. Project staff and committee members said additional public engagement, design refinements and permitting steps will take place before any final approvals.