going TO NEW HEIGHTS Colorado Springs takes Challenge Head-On with New Visitor Center atop 14,115 foot Pikes Peak – America’s Mountain
By Monica Ramey, bachman pr
This is one of the projects you’ll look back and tell your grandkids about,” construction superintendent Robert Clough commented to the mayor of Colorado Springs during a recent project tour. At an altitude of 14,115 feet, this new visitor center could not be a more challenging nor innovative undertaking for the City’s Parks Department. The new $65 million complex is being fully funded by Pikes Peak revenues and donations. Between the altitude; it’s the highest ongoing construction site in North America and one of very few visitor centers in the world constructed above 14,000 feet, and weather factors; deep snow arrives early and stays for half the year and wind
A PermaTrak® system, an environmentallyfriendly precast concrete boardwalk and elevated greenway solution, is part of the new Pikes Peak Summit Complex. The pedestrian boardwalk will connect visitors from the parking lot to the new visitor center and dining terrace, and most impressively will include a promenade and viewing platform wrapping along the edge of the mountain.
18 • Colorado Byline | Fall 2020
speeds often reach more than 230 miles per hour – so what could possibly go wrong? So far, not much. The architectural team of RTA (Colorado Springs) and GWWO (Baltimore), and contractor GE Johnson, admits it’s one of the most challenging projects they’ve ever had the privilege of working on, but it has progressed well and is on track for a spring/summer 2021 completion. It’s a privilege because of its’ national significance as Pikes Peak – America’s Mountain; views from the summit inspired Katherine Lee Bates’ to write the poem, America the Beautiful, subsequently put to song.
Pikes Peak’s elevation presents logistic and health challenges, requiring constant adaptability. Lower oxygen levels in the air mean crews need additional training and must undergo a thorough physical exam. As for climate at 14,115 feet, snow is a possibility year-round, and even during the summer temperatures can still dip below freezing at night. Thunderstorms and lightning strikes occasionally knock out equipment and are also a safety concern. Crews are currently working to close-in the 38,000 square foot building from the elements so they can work on internal finishes through the colder months ahead. Specially manufactured windows were installed following a year of high-wind
