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Nine Mile pedestrian bridge reaches final design; committee advances CDOT maintenance IGA to council
Summary
City staff briefed the committee on the Nine Mile Pedestrian Bridge final design, funding and a CDOT maintenance IGA; major scope changes include removing the steel arch and elevators, ramps designed to meet ADA slopes, camera integration after construction, and a mix of grants and local funds supporting the project.
The Transportation & Public Safety committee heard a project update and approved forwarding to council a maintenance intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with the Colorado Department of Transportation that clarifies City ownership and upkeep of the Nine Mile Pedestrian Bridge and associated landing structure.
Brett Van Wort, engineering supervisor with Transportation Project Delivery, said the project is in final design after prior redesign work to reduce costs. Major scope changes from earlier designs include removal of a steel arch and elimination of elevators; staff said ramps were re‑designed to meet ADA requirements and that the ramp slope is near 8% to remain within accessibility standards. Van Wort said the design includes stairs with bike troughs, public art integrated into the bridge, and planned security cameras to be installed after construction.
On funding, Van Wort described a patchwork of sources reported in the presentation: revised grant funding, an additional city allocation of $4,000,000 (as presented), an $850,000 congressional earmark, contributions for aesthetic elements from an arts team, reimbursements anticipated from adjacent development through AURA, and ARPA/SLUR funds. Several of these funding lines were discussed verbally; staff did not provide a single, consolidated budget total in the committee presentation.
On maintenance and responsibilities, Van Wort said the IGA with CDOT is a supplement to an earlier agreement tied to federal funding and is intended to clarify which elements the City will own and maintain. Elements the City would own include the bridge structure and landing; some highway inlets remain CDOT’s, and the IGA delineates connections to CDOT drainage inlets. Van Wort also said cameras will be added post‑construction and integrated with City IT; Aurora Police Department would have access to the cameras.
Councilmembers questioned ramps, accessibility and camera access; Van Wort said ramp slopes meet ADA thresholds, include landing areas and railings, and that IT will integrate cameras so Aurora Police Department and the City’s operations center can view footage.
The committee voted to skip study session and move the CDOT maintenance IGA and the bridge item to the regular council meeting, per staff request. Van Wort said CDOT prefers the agreement be executed before the City solicits construction bids, although CDOT indicated it might allow bidding if clear progress is shown but prefers execution before project advancement.
What’s next: Staff will take the IGA and project update to regular council as directed. Final contract execution and confirmation of the full project budget remain tasks for staff prior to advertising for bids.
