The US Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration awarded the City of Bellingham a 2012 Exemplary Human Environment Initiative Award for the Inspiration Point Overlook reconstruction completed in 2011. GeoEngineers provided geotechnical engineering and a geohazards assessment for this project, which is located at Woodstock Farm Park along Chuckanut Drive (SR11) near Bellingham, Washington.
The Federal Highway Administration gives out these awards annually to recognize transportation projects that either create or improve conditions for human activities while protecting the natural environment. Inspiration Point was one of 13 transportation projects in the US to be recognized, and one of only five in the category of “Enhancing the Environment for Human Activities.”
According to the administration’s award announcement, “Since the project’s opening in 2011, park visitation rates by motorists and bicyclists have increased substantially. The improvements to Inspiration Point have helped to ignite public interest in Woodstock Farm as a recreational amenity.”
The agency presented the award on June 3, 2013, at the Bellingham City Council Chambers to Mayor Kelli Linville, City Landscape Architect Jonathan Schilk, and project team members from GeoEngineers, Reichardt & Ebe and Larry Steele & Associates, Inc.
The reconstruction consisted of three components, including:
- Design and construction of an improved access driveway and parking areas
- Design and construction of connecting a historic walkway and trail with retaining walls
- Improvements to the existing historic highway viewpoint
Woodstock Farm is a country home estate built in the early 20th century on scenic Chuckanut Drive. The City of Bellingham purchased the 16-acre Woodstock Farm in 2004. Prior to the 2011 restoration project, the park was only accessible to pedestrians and cyclists.
