The Antelope Valley Revitalization project was a $240 million infrastructure project that was the catalyst for long-term redevelopment in the City of Lincoln’s core. The project utilized creative design and sustainable practices to combine community redevelopment, flood control, recreation, and transportation improvements into a single initiative. We were a subconsultant to Parsons Brinckerhoff and our team provided transportation, traffic, utility, stormwater engineering, and survey services for this major project in Lincoln's downtown area.

As part of the project, a major investment study was completed to develop alternatives to reduce traffic congestion in downtown Lincoln; mitigate potential, serious urban flooding along Antelope Creek; and improve transportation services to attract urban developers and to stimulate recreation in the study area. Environmental review, stormwater design, traffic engineering, transportation planning, and roadway and bridge design were major project components.

Our efforts, in conjunction with Parsons Brinckerhoff, also included:

• Identifying and evaluating alternative roadway concepts to select a preferred alternative
• Providing operational analysis, safety analysis, and travel demand forecasting
• Preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and required permitting
• Developing and implementing a public outreach program to build support and develop consensus for the project (e.g., multiple one-on-one meetings with major stakeholders, public open houses, and public presentations to various organizations and presentations to governmental agencies)
• Creating preliminary and final roadway design, major drainage design, and utility relocation designs
• Providing preliminary and final bridge design
• Identifying traffic signal, lighting, signing, and pavement markings
• Coordinating with public agencies, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), and impacted utilities
• Providing field surveys and right-of-way design.

Many complex transportation and environmental issues were identified and resolved. These issues included discontinuity of existing roadways, pedestrian safety, and safety of at-grade rail crossings. The Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Company; Union Pacific Railroad; and Omaha, Lincoln, and Beatrice railroads all run their trains through the project area. To address the conflict between vehicular traffic and these freight rail services, the study looked at consolidating these operations into a single corridor to accommodate proposed transportation improvements. This eliminated at-grade crossings of the railroads for both vehicles and pedestrians.

In addition, the design for the roadway and stormwater channel were closely coordinated and developed to follow a common corridor along the eastern fringe of UNL's campus. This allowed the project to minimize impacts to both UNL and adjacent neighborhoods while also creating opportunities for neighborhood revitalization, expanding UNL's campus, and providing new development opportunities along the east edge of the downtown area.