The City of Delta identified a critical need to reconstruct approximately 1,900 feet of Hillside Street, a key corridor connecting downtown Delta to Garnet Mesa. The existing roadway was characterized by steep grades, poor drainage, limited pedestrian accommodations, and several high-crash intersections. In addition, the corridor lacked safe multimodal facilities, creating barriers for pedestrians and bicyclists traveling between residential areas, downtown businesses, and community destinations. To address these challenges, KLJ Engineering (KLJ) served as the prime consultant and led the planning, traffic analysis, design, utility coordination, and construction-design support efforts for the project. The solution transformed Hillside Street into Delta’s first multimodal corridor, creating a safer and more connected transportation network while modernizing aging infrastructure. Improvements included complete roadway reconstruction, widened sidewalks, dedicated bike lanes, retaining walls, drainage upgrades, enhanced lighting, and reconfigured intersections designed to improve visibility and reduce conflicts between vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists. The project presented significant engineering challenges. The design team had to balance multimodal improvements within a constrained corridor while navigating an adjacent irrigation ditch, complex roadway geometry, steep terrain, utility conflicts, and the need to minimize impacts to surrounding properties. Advanced traffic modeling, extensive stakeholder coordination, and comprehensive Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE) investigations were utilized to identify potential conflicts, reduce construction risks, and develop cost-effective solutions. The project also required coordination with the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and adherence to CDOT standards as a local agency project. The result is a transformative transportation corridor that improves safety, mobility, and quality of life for the Delta community. By creating the city’s first multimodal corridor, the project sets a precedent for future transportation investments and demonstrates how thoughtful planning and design can overcome complex physical constraints while delivering long-term value to residents, businesses, and visitors. The Hillside Street Reconstruction successfully combined practical solutions, collaborative problem-solving, and community-focused design to create a safer, more connected, and more sustainable transportation facility designed to meet the community’s needs for years to come.
