Our concept attempts to honor the sacredness of the National Petroglyph Monument site through which the road passes. Our intent was to design a road that does not directly speak about the monument, but chooses to tell a new story, one that is a remembrance for a very special place. Those driving the road become aware of a new reality, different from the urban landscape they just left and tied to the monument the road moves through. This is accomplished this through a variety of enhancements that include:
Accordion walls: Every 200 feet an accordion walls host photographic images of animals found in this dessert landscape. The photographs are divided into sections with the animals stretching the 75 foot length of the wall.
Colored Tiles: Throughout the masonry barriers, brightly color tiles dot the wall surfaces mimicking the blooms and foliage of the planted landscape.
Land Bridge: A land bridge on the top of the escarpment enable those walking the trails to continue over the road with the least possible intrusion. The fence of the bridge echoes the accordion wall with its undulating design. As the sun sets and darkness descends, strategically placed lights on the bridge create a delicate pattern of light and moires.
Light Boxes: Strategically placed light boxes are painted with abstracted images inspired by animals of the desert. As the sun sets and the colorful abstracted shapes can no longer be seen, lights within the box highlight line drawings of the actual animals.