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Flyover opens with a flourish
Castle Rock celebrated the opening of the Front Street flyover Saturday morning.
By By: Alex C. Pasquariello
Castle Rock celebrated the opening of the Front Street flyover Saturday morning.
A little after 10 a.m., Mayor Ray Waterman gave the go-ahead for traffic to enter the roadway, an arterial connection between Plum Creek and Founders Parkway directing traffic over, rather than across, the railroad tracks.
Not long following Waterman's brief speech, the scores of people on the bridge's sidewalk watched as a Union Pacific train thundered down the tracks below.
Castle Rock's Assistant Public Works Director and Flyover Project Manager Bob Goebel said watching trains pass below a completed Front Street Flyover evoked a satisfying feeling.
"While the bridge was going up, I watched a lot of trains pass, but it was good to see one pass the completed structure," Goebel said. "I'm just happy this project is open and working, and thankful for the patience of all the residents who were affected by the construction and the Front Street detour."
Many of those residents were in attendance at the party the town threw in celebration of the occasion. They enjoyed music, breakfast served by Flying Horse Catering, a skateboard exhibition by professional skater Lynn Cooper and, of course, views from the top of town's newest landmark.
Virginia Folkestad of Castle Rock waived from the bridge at the first train as it passed. She said the detours caused by the construction of the flyover had cost her lots of time, but the completed project was worth the inconvenience.
"The opening of the flyover will be good for the town, especially for the high school kids and their parents who commute from the south," she said.
Folkestad's father, Howard Robinson of Castle Rock, was also on hand for the event. He said he lived closer to the construction than his daughter and was glad to see it come to an end. But he agreed the finished project was worth the effort.
"It's really a pleasant addition to the town," he said.
Castle Rock's Town Council was also on hand, with councilmen enjoying the sun and food while mingling with constituents and handing out Castle Rock flyover flying discs.
Castle Rock District 3 Councilman Doug Lehnen said the opening of the flyover is a major milestone for the town.
"Before I was on the council I worked on this project on the Public Works Commission," Lehnen said. "It is great to see it finally completed and I am really happy with the design that was chosen and built."
Lehnen added he and his wife were ecstatic to see the flyover completed because they shuttle their children daily to Douglas County High School.
"I imagine there are a lot of people in our area of southern Castle Rock as happy to see the detours end and the flyover open," he said.
Councilman Ed Rusch said the project's early completion is a bonus for everybody in his forth district, which includes much of the neighborhood east of the flyover.
"That this flyover was able to open two months ahead of schedule is a direct compliment to the town's public works staff and SEMA Construction," Rusch said. "It also speaks to the patience of the residence affected by the construction. Things will be improving for them, I'm sure."
Rusch was also pleased with the aesthetic effect of the flyover, which constitutes the western border of his district.
"It fulfills its purpose moving traffic over the tracks but fits in extremely well and is relatively unobtrusive," he said.
District 2 Councilman Randy Reed agrees. "This bridge is a huge plus for the town and I think fits in pretty well, and I think it's great that we were able to open it two months ahead of schedule before the winter weather moved in."
Contact Alex Pasquariello at apasquariello@ccnewspapers.net.
A little after 10 a.m., Mayor Ray Waterman gave the go-ahead for traffic to enter the roadway, an arterial connection between Plum Creek and Founders Parkway directing traffic over, rather than across, the railroad tracks.
Not long following Waterman's brief speech, the scores of people on the bridge's sidewalk watched as a Union Pacific train thundered down the tracks below.
Castle Rock's Assistant Public Works Director and Flyover Project Manager Bob Goebel said watching trains pass below a completed Front Street Flyover evoked a satisfying feeling.
"While the bridge was going up, I watched a lot of trains pass, but it was good to see one pass the completed structure," Goebel said. "I'm just happy this project is open and working, and thankful for the patience of all the residents who were affected by the construction and the Front Street detour."
Many of those residents were in attendance at the party the town threw in celebration of the occasion. They enjoyed music, breakfast served by Flying Horse Catering, a skateboard exhibition by professional skater Lynn Cooper and, of course, views from the top of town's newest landmark.
Virginia Folkestad of Castle Rock waived from the bridge at the first train as it passed. She said the detours caused by the construction of the flyover had cost her lots of time, but the completed project was worth the inconvenience.
"The opening of the flyover will be good for the town, especially for the high school kids and their parents who commute from the south," she said.
Folkestad's father, Howard Robinson of Castle Rock, was also on hand for the event. He said he lived closer to the construction than his daughter and was glad to see it come to an end. But he agreed the finished project was worth the effort.
"It's really a pleasant addition to the town," he said.
Castle Rock's Town Council was also on hand, with councilmen enjoying the sun and food while mingling with constituents and handing out Castle Rock flyover flying discs.
Castle Rock District 3 Councilman Doug Lehnen said the opening of the flyover is a major milestone for the town.
"Before I was on the council I worked on this project on the Public Works Commission," Lehnen said. "It is great to see it finally completed and I am really happy with the design that was chosen and built."
Lehnen added he and his wife were ecstatic to see the flyover completed because they shuttle their children daily to Douglas County High School.
"I imagine there are a lot of people in our area of southern Castle Rock as happy to see the detours end and the flyover open," he said.
Councilman Ed Rusch said the project's early completion is a bonus for everybody in his forth district, which includes much of the neighborhood east of the flyover.
"That this flyover was able to open two months ahead of schedule is a direct compliment to the town's public works staff and SEMA Construction," Rusch said. "It also speaks to the patience of the residence affected by the construction. Things will be improving for them, I'm sure."
Rusch was also pleased with the aesthetic effect of the flyover, which constitutes the western border of his district.
"It fulfills its purpose moving traffic over the tracks but fits in extremely well and is relatively unobtrusive," he said.
District 2 Councilman Randy Reed agrees. "This bridge is a huge plus for the town and I think fits in pretty well, and I think it's great that we were able to open it two months ahead of schedule before the winter weather moved in."
Contact Alex Pasquariello at apasquariello@ccnewspapers.net.
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