Haxton Way Pedestrian & Bicycle Trail Safety Project

LDES served as the prime engineering consulting firm leading a multi-disciplinary team for the development of the Haxton Way Pedestrian & Bicycle Trail Safety Project (currently known as Red River Pedestrian Path), a project co-managed by the Lummi Nation and Whatcom County Public Works Department. The purpose of the project is to alleviate pedestrian and bicycle safety concerns along Haxton Way by developing an approximately 2-mile-long multi-use trail from Slater Road to Kwina Road.

The project involved the construction of a two-mile, multi-purpose trail system consisting of a paved trail, porous pavement, elevated boardwalks, two new pedestrian bridges over Red River and the Lummi Slough, 4 acres of wetland fill, limestone trail, swales, and miscellaneous storm drain improvements, intersection improvements, and solar LED trail lighting. LDES was engaged in the ROW acquisition phase, and working with the Lummi Nation and Whatcom County staff. The design included stormwater drainage improvements as well as coordination regarding wetland issues associated with the 4 acres of wetland fill required to complete this project. In cooperation with the Lummi Nation, Whatcom County, FHWA and WSDOT, Army Corps of Engineers, WSDOE, and BIA, our firm acted as the prime consultant for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and the Washington State Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Program.

Porous Pavement Shoulders/Bioswales

The additional impervious pavement created by the construction of the two-mile paved pathway required the installation of additional stormwater treatment. The roadside ditches could not be eliminated in most locations, therefore, bioswales were chosen for use in this project.

Bridges

The project included a 50-foot bridge and a 90-foot bridge. The cost of structure came in at 35% below the third-party independent construction estimated expectation.

Elevated Boardwalks

Elevated boardwalks were used to preserve wetland areas while providing pedestrians with a safe pathway along Haxton Way.

The project was awarded an Award of Excellence under the Best Special Project Category by the Washington State Department of Transportation and the Federal Highways Administration.