A class of 11 cadets who are studying civil engineering at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs is taking on a project to design a new pedestrian bridge along the Maroon Lake scenic loop trail. The project came about as an initiative between federal agencies.
"We started looking at projects that would be feasible for cadets to do," Stan Rader, of the Air Force Academy. "This pedestrian bridge fit the bill perfectly."
While the bridge in question is still serviceable, according to a press release from the White River National Forest, "given the tremendous and increasing number of visitors coming to the Maroon Bells each year, it will need to be replaced one day in the future."
Cadets will work together to take measurements of a bridge in the Maroon-Bells Snowmass Wilderness that will serve as their design project throughout the semester.
Rader and the students came to the area in August to begin survey work, and completed a follow up trip this month with military technical engineers to record the site's topography. They will return again this fall for more detailed field and survey work. Through the 2015-2016 academic year, the class will work on planning and design for the new bridge that is expected to be completed next summer.
“Through this project, not only do we get some real-world, hands-on experience with civil engineering, but we get to help the community, conserve our national forest and its accessibility so that all may enjoy it for years to come,” cadet second-class Kyle Barboza said in a press release.
White River National Forest spokesperson Kate Jerman said this year is the first for the partnership between the academy and the local Forest Service office. The hope is that the collaboration will continue to the benefit of more bridges and structures within the forest in later years.
