House Creek Greenway

WEI designed and performed the construction inspection of a three mile section of greenway that begins at Crabtree Valley Trail (near the intersection of Crabtree Valley Avenue and Blue Ridge Road), and ends at the eastern end of the pedestrian bridge over the I-440 Beltline at Meredith College. The project had pedestrian enhancement funding and federal funding, which required oversight from NCDOT.

The design constraints included a highly variable grade, transmission lines and towers, coordination within the existing sewer easements, numerous stream crossings, and the need to safely cross three roads. The House Creek Greenway provides a link between two major components of the existing City of Raleigh Greenway System, and is consistent in design to each of the other trails, while creating a unique experience for its users.

The scope of services included planning documents, a feasibility study, site evaluation, greenway design, structural design, sidewalk design, utility coordination and design, erosion and sedimentation control plans, flood study/CLOMR/LOMR, wetland, buffer, and stream delineation, bike and pedestrian improvements, traffic control plans, cost estimates, public hearings, right of way plans, pavement marking plans, and construction engineering inspection. A supplemental contract involved a feasibility study and final design for the Ridge Road Greenway section, including negotiation of a Control of Access Agreement with NCDOT.

The structures for this project consisted of three cored slab bridges and one prefabricated pedestrian bridge, 7 modular block retaining walls, three cast in place concrete retaining walls, and a tree-level timber pedestrian bridge. Precast concrete box sections were used as greenway tunnels below city streets at two locations as well.

The project involved the widening of the existing sidewalk on the Glen Eden Drive Bridge, design of a parking and access facility along the proposed trail, and extensive coordination with NCDOT to review alternatives for crossing roads (including I-440) using existing sidewalks through a multi-family unit residential development. Coordination was also needed to resolve floodplain management issues related to the design of significant pedestrian crossings over House Creek and the concurrent replacement of an existing sewer along the easement to be used for the proposed trail. Numerous onsite consultations were needed between WEI, the contractor, the City of Raleigh, and residents to ensure the project did not encroach on anyone’s property.

Traffic control and pavement marking plans were developed for the construction next to Wade Avenue, Ridge Road, and Blue Ridge Road, as well as for the crossings of Horton Street, Lake Boone Trail, Glen Eden Drive, and Blue Ridge Road. Three of the crossings – Lake Boone Trail, Blue Ridge Road, and Wade Avenue – were NCDOT maintained roads, and required approval of the traffic control plans.

A section of the trail follows a sewer easement adjacent to House Creek and includes several stream and roadway crossings. WEI’s design worked with the existing utilities, crossing a CP&L power line in two places, relocating a waterline, cutting the road, and bracing a gas line it would stay in place during construction.

A segment of the trail runs through Meredith College, and WEI coordinated with the College on the trail alignment to minimize its impact on the campus.

This project involved a detailed analysis of design alternatives, as well as a FEMA CLOMR, buffer and stream impact permits, and scour analysis for two new bridge crossings.