deadline for questions is 5:00 p.m. (MT), May 22, 2023 All questions concerning the RFP shall be directed only to Chris Carlson at Chris.Carlson@cityofloveland.org or by phone at (970) 962-2774. Do not direct questions to any other City or CDOT staff other than to Chris Carlson. Project Goals The City desires to change the direction of infrastructure and land use decisions in this reach of the Big Thompson river corridor to one which is based on long term resiliency, maximizing benefits while minimizing long term costs, significantly improving life safety and emergency access, reducing impacts and economic hardships to local businesses during a flood, restoring natural river and floodplain functions where there currently are none, returning to a more natural and beautiful riparian corridor, improving water quality, and creating a sustainable and economically stable environment for future community and business development. Therefore, the overarching purpose of this project is to implement resiliency and long-term sustainability through flood mitigation. As evaluated in the feasibility study and River Master Plan, this project's goals will include the following items: o Replace the highway bridge and raise the profile of the highway as needed in order to prevent highway overtopping during a 1-percent annual chance event (100-year flood event); o Reduce the number of structures and properties in the floodplain and floodway and reduce the flood risk to those structures that remain in the floodplain; o Improve and increase public safety; o Reconnect the channel to active floodplain benches through river and floodplain restoration; o Restore ecological functions of the river and riparian corridor up and downstream of the bridge. Currently the river is forced into an artificially narrow channel that has poor aquatic habitat and is disconnected from the floodplain. Our goal is to improve the natural functions of the river as much as possible given site constraints and improve the immediate reach grades from the Big Thompson Watershed Coalition's 2021 stream health assessment. Due to existing constraints, we will not be moving or creating a new channel alignment. o Incorporate the use of Nature based solutions which are a significant priority in this project; o Improve opportunities for future property and business redevelopment by both removing them from the floodplain where possible, decreasing flood risk, and by providing a focused infrastructure investment in the area - public outreach will be very important throughout the project; o Create a natural open space corridor connecting the existing public natural areas and parks up