BG Consultants was contracted in the fall of 2017 to design the Sunset Zoo Parking Lot and North Service Road Improvements for the City of Manhattan.  The project design required coordination with multiple departments within the City of Manhattan:  Parks and Recreation, Public Works, Manhattan Fire Department, Code Services and Legal. There was also coordination with outside entities such as numerous utility companies and USD 383 Manhattan-Ogden Unified School District due to the project’s proximity to Manhattan High School.

The parking lot portion of the project consists of constructing 86 additional parking spaces for the Sunset Zoo.  In addition to the new concrete parking lot and sidewalk, the project also incorporates bioretention swales in two of the curb islands and a concrete spreader channel connected to an infiltration trench in order to provide a more sustainable “green” design.  The parking lot includes approximately 4,450 SY of reinforced concrete pavement, 150 SY of concrete sidewalk, LED light fixtures and poles, and the replacement of the existing light fixtures with LED.  

The north service road improvements are important to the daily operations of the zoo.  The service road is used by both zoo staff and delivery personnel.  The existing service road material was gravel and proved to be a liability when rain, snow or ice events occurred.  The road would be rendered out of service for a certain period during and following these weather events.  The new service road design consists of approximately 960 SY of reinforced concrete pavement and an improved drainage system to better accommodate the storm events.