Denver police are deploying a traffic plan around the Cinco de Mayo holiday for the heavily traveled Federal Boulevard corridor in an effort to relieve congestion and minimize noise in surrounding neighborhoods.
City officials expect upwards of 400,000 people at a celebration to be held at Civic Center park on Saturday and Sunday, saying a byproduct of the city’s annual gathering has been spontaneous cruising along the boulevard.
“The sudden influx of vehicles and people has resulted in a severe disruption to normal traffic patterns,” police said Friday in a news release.
Police say department command staff have been meeting with public and private entities to plan enforcement during the celebration.
As part of the plan, traffic will be allowed to cross Federal Boulevard freely until traffic congestion increases. As volume builds, the east and west traffic across Federal Boulevard will be restricted to major intersections at Louisiana Avenue, Mississippi Avenue, Kentucky Avenue, Alameda Avenue and U.S. 6.
“Access to side streets will be limited to neighborhood residents only once barricades are in place,” the release said. “Residents requiring access should contact the officer on post. If an officer is engaged in taking a police action, residents should proceed to the next staffed or open intersection.”
Police say any violations that pose a safety risk “will be strictly enforced,” including traffic ordinances and sound ordinance violations from stereos and excessive horn honking. Authorities say will also be strictly enforced.
Police say they anticipate heavy traffic on Federal Boulevard on Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday.
Jesse Paul: 303-954-1733, jpaul@denverpost.com or twitter.com/JesseAPaul
Denver police traffic plan phases:
Phase One: Traffic flow along Federal Boulevard will be permitted. Police personnel will be staffing static posts along the boulevard. Side streets will not be barricaded during this phase.
Phase Two: As the number of celebrants and cruisers increase, police personnel will utilize traffic barricades to restrict access to side streets along Federal Boulevard. The objective will be to minimize the impact on the residents that live along the boulevard’s corridor.
Phase Three: As volume reaches levels that prevent normal traffic flow unsafe for residents, participants and service personnel, a portion of the traffic will be diverted from Federal Boulevard until the traffic volume becomes normalized. Various diversion routes have been selected and the volume of traffic will determine which location will be utilized.
Source: Denver Police Department.
