ROUND 1 – DEVELOP PRELIMINARY CONCEPTS (COMPLETE)

This round involves collecting all relevant data, furthering our understanding of the site context, and interacting with the public to establish preliminary design goals and initial bridge concepts.

• Prepare Initial Electronic Polling Exercise. As we have done on previous projects, we will work with the University of Kentucky Transportation Research Center (UKTC) and Dr. Ted Grossardt, using their unique Structured Public Involvement tool. We will identify the list of key design parameters for which polling data will prove the most useful for the concept development team. These parameters may include characteristics such as height, symmetry, bridge type, visibility, and others associated with global aesthetics and context sensitivity relevant to the lake sites. Note that the electronic polling can accommodate well over 100 persons in any polling session.
  
  
• Develop Initial Concepts. Our team will develop renderings of initial concepts and bridge types such that these key design parameters can be depicted in multiple varieties of solutions. This will allow the public to be polled on these options to establish trends and preferences. Through the Structured Public Involvement preference polling, the UKTC’s decision support software will quickly provide the design team with valuable preference data that will help guide further concept development and refinement. Many considerations will be used to develop these initial concepts. Although the bridges are too far apart to be viewed together, the required main spans are the same, so a consistent style will receive highest consideration to create a ‘bookend’ effect. Since both bridges deliver the traveler into the Land Between the Lakes, the site is appropriate for a gateway-type treatment. Concepts will include a variety of types: ones that provide this ‘gateway’ effect, ones with a low profile (under deck support), ones that are prominent in the landscape and ones that are more subtle. 
  
  
• Round One Meetings: The first meeting with the Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC) and the subsequent Public Meeting is the community’s introduction to this phase of the project. The project and process itself will be described, the client and consultant team introduced and educational material about bridge types will be presented in various formats. The Baker-Palmer Team will also present draft context-sensitive design principles for comment and initial bridge concepts for preference polling and comment. Final concepts will be recommended and approved for final consideration.
  
  
• Rendering and Computer Visualization. For each of the initial concepts, we will develop computer renderings that will illustrate the global aesthetics of each. Key vantage points for this site will likely include aerial and shoreline views.