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Engineering - New Castle Creek Bridge

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1. What are the challenges of rebuilding the existing Castle Creek Bridge?

• The existing Castle Creek Bridge can’t be widened due to the current width of the highway leading into the S-Curves.
• It would be 18 to 24 months of actual bridge construction.
• Power Plant Road would not be usable below the Castle Creek Bridge during reconstruction, so it would need to be widened and relocated to the north. 
• The existing bridge does not meet our existing capacity standards, so CDOT may opt for a bridge in the proposed alignment. 
• S-Curves limitations would still exist. 

2. If we proceed with the Preferred Alternative, what’s next?

1. The City of Aspen is working closely with FHWA and CDOT to determine the next steps.
2. Aspen voters need to approve using the right-of-way over Marolt-Thomas Open Space for exclusive bus lanes instead of a light rail. 
3. In order to move forward, CDOT requires Aspen City Council to validate its support for the project by passing a resolution stating high-level backing.
4. The ROD will need to go through a standard reevaluation process to affirm there are no significant changes in the social, economic, and physical environment. 
5. A project leadership team and project working groups will be formed to advise and make technical recommendations and decisions. 
6. The City of Aspen has approved staff time and funding ($8.5 million through 2026) to support the initial design process. 
7. The project needs to get on the CDOT Transportation Planning Region list of priorities. 
8. Project design kicks into the next phase. This is a two to three-year design process. 
9. Community outreach and engagement will be ongoing through the design process to gather community input on project components and design elements (i.e.: pedestrian infrastructure, aesthetics, open space planning).
10. Community support for the ROD would allow the City of Aspen to apply for grants from federal funding sources.

3. What are the cost estimates and funding sources for the Preferred Alternative?

The plan implementation cost was last estimated in 2016 and is listed below. Construction costs have increased significantly since 2016.

• With bus lanes, the capital cost would be $102 million with an operation and maintenance budget of $3.2 million annually.
• With a light rail, the capital cost would be $428 - $527 million with an operation and maintenance budget of $6 million annually. The light rail would run from the airport to Rubey Park. 

A new estimate will be sought during the plan development phase of the project.

Funding for the plan will be a combination of local, state, and federal dollars. However, we won't know the specifics until there is consensus in the community on the path forward for a new bridge.

4. What would the impacts to the community be during the construction of the new bridge, land bridge(s), and new road?

Most of the impacts of building the Preferred Alternative would be isolated to the adjacent properties of the new bridge. General traffic would follow through the existing S-Curves so that the impacts to this group would occur during the intersection construction at 7th and Main Street, and the construction associated with the tie-in to the existing highway east of the roundabout.

5. Why can’t one of the other alternatives be considered instead of the Preferred Alternative?

The current Castle Creek Bridge was built in 1961 and designed to last 75 years. The Castle Creek Bridge is nearing the end of its useful life and the City of Aspen believes the choice before the community is to either: 

1. Build the Preferred Alternative; or 
2. Don’t build the Preferred Alternative.

If the community does not want to build the Preferred Alternative AND wants to explore another alternative, it will require opening the Record of Decision (ROD) or creating a new ROD. It is estimated, in 2022 dollars, that the process would cost approximately $7-8 million and take four to eight years to complete, depending on which of the other alternatives the community would want to pursue.

6. Can we build a tunnel so that we maintain the open space and trail connections?

The Record of Decision (ROD) calls for a land bridge of 400 feet. The 400-foot land bridge (or perhaps two shorter land bridges), cannot be increased in size because a larger land bridge, or tunnel, would require specific ventilation and fire suppression systems. Additionally, building a long tunnel would add significant cost to the project.

7. Can we proceed with a light rail now?

It is theoretically possible to proceed with light rail now, as Aspen voters approved this in 1996 and the 1998 Record of Decision (ROD) allows light rail. However, the construction and operating cost of light rail are significantly greater than a bus system. Additionally, rail systems are not as scalable as bus systems. For example, during an event like Food & Wine, it would be difficult to add train cars to accommodate the crowds, and comparatively easy to add buses.

8. How much does light rail cost?

While the City of Aspen doesn’t have a firm figure, we believe it will cost more than $100 million to include light rail. It is difficult to imagine a time when light rail would be affordable for a community of our size.

9. Would the connection to Cemetery Lane remain?

Yes. The portion of Highway 82 from Castle Creek Bridge to Cemetery Lane would remain. The traffic light at Cemetery Lane would be removed. The portion of Highway 82 that starts at the intersection of Cemetery Lane and goes to the roundabout would be removed, and the reclaimed land would become open space. The trail along that portion of Highway 82 would also remain.

10. Why is it important to Aspen residents to have a second bridge to get in and out of Aspen?

There are several reasons why implementing the Preferred Alternative, including a second bridge, could be helpful to Aspen residents:

• In the event of a wildfire, mudslide, or other natural disasters, an evacuation of Aspen could be necessary. Currently, the primary evacuation route is the Castle Creek Bridge. Adding a new bridge would double the number of evacuation routes for automobiles and triple the number of lanes available for evacuation.
• Where there are now good-paying jobs down the valley, it is possible that some workers who currently travel to Aspen each day for work would decide they could work down the valley instead and avoid commuting through Aspen traffic each day. That could have a negative impact on the services available in Aspen. 
• Because the Castle Creek Bridge was built in 1961 and is nearing the end of its 75-year design life, the bridge will continue to require major repairs. Having a new second bridge would allow residents to go down the valley without significant construction delays.

11. Is the current Castle Creek Bridge safe?

Yes, the current Castle Creek Bridge is safe. As we get closer to the end of its useful life, repairs will be more frequent. 

A good analogy for how bridges age is that they are like a paperclip: you can bend it and twist it and then it hits a point when it breaks. 

When the Castle Creek Bridge starts to deteriorate, the first step will be to limit the weight of vehicles that go across the bridge – so heavy construction vehicles, large delivery trucks, big fire trucks, and buses will be the first to be prohibited from crossing the Castle Creek Bridge when and if the condition of the bridge warrants weight restrictions.

12. Have other bridges in our community ever had weight restrictions?

Yes. In the early 2000s, weight restrictions were placed on the original Maroon Creek Bridge.  The first Maroon Creek Bridge was built in the late 1800s and was opened to train traffic in 1888. Automobiles started using the original bridge in the 1920s. In the early 2000s, the Maroon Creek Bridge was temporarily closed to truck traffic because of cracks in the base of the bridge. In 2005, construction of the new Maroon Creek Bridge began. The current Maroon Creek Bridge opened in July of 2008.

13. When was the Castle Creek Bridge last inspected? What is the condition of the current Castle Creek Bridge and when will it be inspected next?

The Castle Creek Bridge was last inspected on September 7, 2022. The bridge was rated 50.3 out of 100. The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) rates bridges as “Good”, “Fair”, and “Poor”. A 52.4 rating is “Fair”. Anything below 50 is considered Poor. It is expected that the Castle Creek Bridge will be inspected next in the spring of 2023.

14. Can the current Castle Creek Bridge be repaired?

The current Castle Creek Bridge can be repaired. However, the repair would be limited to the superstructure, including elements such as beams and deck. The substructure, which includes piers and abutments, would remain. This process could take 18- 24 months. Some of the repairs could require the closing or rerouting of Power Plant Road. Please note this is for the repair work, not replacement work.

15. If Castle Creek Bridge needs to be repaired or replaced in the same location, what is the expected duration of that project?

It is expected that repairs of the superstructure of the current Castle Creek Bridge would take 18 - 24 months. Replacement of the substructure bridge elements such as the piers and abutment are not included in this estimate.

16. If the Preferred Alternative is built, will the old Castle Creek Bridge be transferred to the City of Aspen?

If a new bridge over Castle Creek is built as part of the implementation of the Preferred Alternative, after CDOT repairs the current Castle Creek Bridge, they will ask the City of Aspen to take over the old Castle Creek Bridge - and the City of Aspen would need to accept the bridge.

17. What is a Record of Decision (ROD)?

It is a document issued by a federal agency that:
1) Is the conclusion of the National Environmental Policy Act’s (NEPA) Environmental Impact Statement (EIA);
2) Contains and describes the Preferred Alternative (PA) and the process of selecting the PA; 
3) Represents a go-ahead from the federal government to the state government that a project can proceed 

18. Why do we have to talk about this now? Life was just starting to get back to normal!

City Council asked us to restart this community conversation. Two of the primary drivers are:
1) Climate change has created warmer and drier conditions that has led to a longer and more active fire season- so the likelihood of Aspen needing to evacuate has increased significantly since the 1998 Record of Decision (ROD) 
2) The Castle Creek Bridge is nearing the end of its useful life. 

19. What would the impacts to the community be during the construction of a new bridge, land bridge(s), and new road?

Most of the impacts of building the Preferred Alternative would be isolated to the adjacent properties of the new bridge. General traffic would follow through the existing S-Curves so that the impacts to this group would occur during the intersection construction at 7th and Main Street, and the construction associated with the tie-in to the existing highway east of the roundabout.

20. How much will building the entire Preferred Alternative cost?

The cost for the project was estimated in 2016 with bus lanes the capital cost was $102 million. With light rail, the capital cost was $428 - $527 million. The estimates are from 2016 and the cost in today's dollars will be considerably higher.

21. Who is going to pay for the design and construction of the project?

The project will be paid for with a combination of local, state and federal funding. The exact funding source breakdown would need to be identified later in the process.

22. How will the residents from Cemetery Lane and McLane Flats get to the hospital and schools?

Residents will turn left at the current intersection on the existing Highway 82 and right on 7th Street (thought the S-Curves) and then right onto the new Highway 82 alignment to head out of town. 

23. What is Pitkin County and Snowmass Village's role in this project?

Both have been included in these discussions for years as part of the Elected Officials Transportation Committee.  Both will be included as stakeholders during future conversations during the upcoming design phase.