Alpine Tunnel Palisades Repair

[Justin Kerns]

There is a concerted effort underway across numerous interested parties to procure funding to repair the Palisades damage from 2016. This effort is being led by Chuck Severance here in Colorado in conjunction with Gunnison National Forest personnel. He is asking for all groups or individuals with any interest in seeing the Palisades repaired to please help out by considering writing a letter in support of the project. These instructions are geared towards groups but individuals are very welcome to write also. The more the merrier! Please see Chuck's call to action below:


Today I am hoping to enlist your help to write a letter of support that we discussed a few months back for the repair of the historic Palisade Wall of the Alpine Tunnel near Pitkin. Here is a short drone video of the wall. [youtu.be]

Progress on this project has been slow but steady for over a year now. We are currently awaiting approved final NFS engineering plans and bids from the contractors, but our concept budget is around $350-$450,000. On a positive note, The National Forest Foundation (NFF) has agreed to be the applicant for all grants. The NFF has the experience and advantage in grant writing, contracting, administration, and insurance. On the downside, History Colorado recently announced they will not be accepting grant applications exceeding $50,000 as a result of their revenue shortfall due to the closing of casinos for COVID.

Despite this setback, our working group of NFF and Gunnison National Forest (GNF) are pushing ahead. It is hoped that even a $50,00 grant will be valued as seed money to fuel other groups to contribute as well. The best news yet, The Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) proposed by Senator Gardner and signed by President Trump 8/4/20 provides $2 Billion per year to National Parks and Forests for deferred maintenance – half of which is targeted for roads. As the details of the GAO Act gets clarified, GNF has committed to submitting the Palisade Wall as a shovel ready project. The GNF leaders are now hopeful to join this project not only with engineering and project management, but significant funding as well.

To be proactive in anticipation of GAO Act funding and project approval, we are proceeding with several grant applications. Our first grant application to History Colorado is due September 1st as a draft version and October 1st as a final version. Support letters are critical to each application, as we have discussed. We hope to show a diverse group of users and stakeholders including historic preservation, motorized recreation, and economic impacts.

I am asking that you please include the following in your support letter:

Your name and address on your letterhead, if available.
A description or mission statement of your group.
Number of members.
How you contribute to history, economics, or recreation in Colorado.
Why you think it is important to have the Palisade Wall repaired.
Please sign your support letter.

Letters should be dated and addressed to (but not sent to):

Mr. Tim Stroh, AIA
Director, State Historical Fund
1200 Broadway
Denver, CO 80203

Please scan or save your letters as a .pdf file and e-mail to me at [e-mail]. I hope to receive your support letter by mid September. Please save your letters, as I may ask for the letters to be refreshed with new dates for future applications. Please feel free to call or e-mail me with any questions or comments. I am trying to be brief here, but I have much more to share if you are interested.

Thank you so much for your interest and support in this historic and trail preservation project.

Sincerely yours,

Chuck Severance

[Chris Walker]

Justin,

thank you for posting this.  My question to you and also to the promoter, is this.

Just how much "Historical Fabric" is to be replaced, i.e. is only the roadway edging to allow safe passage of motor vehicles or is it envisaged as to be put back to how the Stonemasons left it on completion?

Mother Nature has been smiting the Great Rock Wall at the Palisades since tracks were laid down, and some of the damage visible today is historical.

CHS.J3611
https://digital.denverlibrary.org/digital/collection/p15330coll21/id/9824



MCC-1373
https://digital.denverlibrary.org/digital/collection/p15330coll22/id/1521



Z-5662
https://digital.denverlibrary.org/digital/collection/p15330coll22/id/72284

[Jim Courtney]

Hey Chris, good to see you back.

You haven't posted in quite a while, I was getting worried that upside-down Covid might have gotten you . . .

[Chris Walker]

Hi Jim,
thanks, no worries.....I have a (goat) herd immunity

There hasn't been anything I could contribute to for awhile.

[Justin Kerns]

Hi Chris,

The plan is to reconstruct the wall as it was originally built and to historical completion.  Stone masons who specialize in "the old ways" have been consulted and will be providing the formal bids.  Below the failed portion the wall is also bulging out.  This will all be taken down and properly reconstructed as it was originally.

In addition there will likely be a rock scaling effort above the wall to try to minimize damage for the foreseeable future.  Also the lower portion of the Williams Pass Road below the grade will be restored in order to provide access for the repair.  It is actually pretty lucky that this road passes just below the wall otherwise construction would be even more complicated!

Thank you very much for the photos showing the historic damage.  I have never noticed it before in those shots.  For many years prior to the collapse in 2016 the entire row of cap stones was missing and also most of the course underneath.  With more consistent maintenance the hope is that we won't see a failure of this magnitude again.

Has anyone ever seen photos taken during the original construction of these walls?  If any exist it would be helpful to know.  All help is greatly appreciated!

[Chris Walker]

Justin Kerns wrote

I have never noticed it before in those shots.  For many years prior to the collapse in 2016 the entire row of cap stones was missing and also most of the course underneath.  With more consistent maintenance the hope is that we won't see a failure of this magnitude again.

Has anyone ever seen photos taken during the original construction of these walls?  If any exist it would be helpful to know.  All help is greatly appreciated!

Justin,

I have never heard nor read of anyone "noticing" the historical damage to the wall, which is why I pointed it out,  I have done so in the past on another thread. see:http://c-sng-discussion-forum.41377.n7.nabble.com/Other-damage-at-Alpine-Tunnel-tp5426p5427.html



This begs the question, and I know Justin is the messenger....why the "want" to rewrite history in repairing the historical damage?, after all the D.L&G and the C&S didn't see the need to.  There certainly wasn't any want to either after the ties were bulldozed off, so why now?  

As shown in the photo's, Mother Nature got stuck in real quick to work on her version.  That snowslide chute is the source of the damage and will be again in the future.

Look at the CHS.J3611 photo I posted above, spare Rails are visible indicating the need for immediate replacement due to rockfalls at any time.  Another photo (inserted below)shows fresh Rockfall at the upgrade end of the Great Rock Wall.  


And no, I've never seen any construction photos either, those I would remember.

CHS.J3610
https://digital.denverlibrary.org/digital/collection/p15330coll21/id/9825



C-40
https://digital.denverlibrary.org/digital/collection/p15330coll22/id/76217

[South Park]

  If I may be so bold, I think reopening the railroad from St. Elmo to Pitkin
would make for awesome operations and with frequent train traffic, raise the
bar for eyes-on-the-problem and overall maintenance.  A fleet of properly new-
built 1880's motive power and rolling stock would be most excellent to see
pounding on the mountain.  Just sayin' ......  

[Dave Eggleston]

That is a pretty bold idea: Running an operation from St Elmo to Pitkin with 1880s equipment WOULD be amazing. But you're pulling our legs, right?

[Kurt Maechner]

Wow, look at the pile of cinders in the close-up photo above labeled MCC-1373.  That is a deep pile!