DAVENPORT provided site/civil design services for the proposed Tanglewood Park Special Events Roadway Improvements project. One of the park’s major special events and significant revenue generators is the annual Festival of the Lights. Widely anticipated and supported each year, this event causes major traffic back-ups along Clemmons Road at the entrance to the Park. These back-ups are seen as a significant inconvenience by local residents who cannot easily access their own neighborhoods or local businesses during event hours. The intent of this project is to eliminate said queuing of vehicles on Clemmons Road and create a simple, yet effective, ingress and egress route within the park during this and other special events.
DAVENPORT’s scope included initial traffic study, conceptual design, opinion of probable costs, bid services, and construction administration services. Final design includes demolition plans, site layout, grading, storm drain, and erosion & sediment control. Upon developing the conceptual layout, the primary design challenge for the overall design was the chosen location for the queuing area; it was an area within the floodplain of the Yadkin River. State requirements preclude any development in this area that increases the established floodplain elevation by more than one-tenth of a foot.
DAVENPORT’s team worked together to develop a plan to allow the development of a roadway/queuing area meeting the necessary vehicle number requirements, but would also drain appropriately and not increase the floodplain elevation. DAVENPORT and its subconsultant then coordinated with the State’s Flood Zone office to ensure compliance with all regulatory standards. Another challenge was simply providing the County with a facility that minimized overall cost and disturbance while providing multi-purpose capabilities. This consideration required the design to accommodate a multi-functional usage to accommodate numerous special events throughout the year. Depending on the needs, it can function as a roadway queuing area or parking lot. This required a heavy concentration on integrating the new road seamlessly with existing roadways, and the foresight to create loops and network patterns that can either work independently or cohesively to itself.