8th Street Carbondale | Roaring Fork Engineering

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8th Street Carbondale

Upgrading a Key Carbondale Corridor with Sidewalks and Multimodal Infrastructure

The 8th Street corridor is a busy residential street where the absence of sidewalks and defined parking created ongoing pedestrian safety concerns. This project, rooted in the Town’s broader transportation master plan, brought structured streetscape improvements to a corridor flanked by residential properties, delivering infrastructure that works for every user: commuters, cyclists, residents with mobility challenges, and families alike. Roaring Fork Engineering handled survey, design, and coordination from start to finish, which included navigating right-of-way constraints, utility conflicts, and adjacent property impacts to deliver a complete, thoughtfully detailed streetscape improvement.

Challenges & highlights

Carbondale’s transportation master plan identified this corridor as a vital link in the town’s multimodal network, connecting residential neighborhoods to downtown and prioritizing pedestrian access along a route that had long lacked it. That planning foundation shaped how RFE approached the work: not as a standalone fix, but as a deliberate investment in connectivity.

Before any design work could begin, RFE completed a thorough site survey to assess existing road widths and right-of-way boundaries. Ultimately, the design was able to preserve a travel lane in each direction while adding parallel parking on both sides of the street and a 6-foot sidewalk along each edge. This configuration improves the corridor without reducing its capacity.

In addition, pedestrian infrastructure carries a different design standard than roadway work. Sidewalks, cross-slopes, surface material, and especially curb ramps at street crossings all had to meet accessibility requirements that ensure the improvements are usable for everyone.

Finally, utility relocations were required in several locations, and the team worked to sequence and route those relocations in ways that minimized disruption to residential property.

The results

This project demonstrates our ability to navigate residential right-of-way constraints, coordinate utility work, and design to accessibility standards, all while staying attentive to the people who live on the street.

The 8th Street improvements delivered a functional, accessible streetscape along a corridor that previously had neither. Pedestrians now have a clear, continuous path, parking is defined and organized, and curb ramps meet current accessibility standards, while travel lanes remain intact.

Elevation: 6,181

Location: Carbondale, CO

Multiple intersection realignments
Additional pedestrian crossing
Design of a raised colored crosswalk
Drainage system design
Utility relocations

Build infrastructure that holds up

If your municipality is planning roadway improvements, utility expansions, or system upgrades, we are ready to support your team.