A bronze plaque will be unveiled at the pedestrian bridge on East Sixth Avenue and Vaughn Street in Aurora Saturday during a rededication ceremony for Doris Ann Brown,11, who was hit and killed by a drunken driver in 1972.
The original bridge was built in 1973. The new bridge cost the Colorado Department of Transportation $2.6 million and was completed in October. A new sidewalk was added for pedestrians on the south side of Sixth Avenue from Vaughn Street to Potomac Street to help improve a bus stop.
In 1997, the city of Aurora’s Historic Preservation Commission named the bridge the Doris Ann Memorial Bridge on the 25th anniversary of her death and at the request of her family. The preservation committee, tasked with recommending names for public places based on the city’s history, gave CDOT clearance to replace the bridge since the bridge itself had no historical significance but advised CDOT to continue with its memorial name.
The rededication ceremony will be at 1 p.m. Saturday on the north side of the bridge on East Sixth Avenue west of Potomac Street and east of Vaughn Street. Brown’s family and friends are expected to attend the ceremony. A reception will follow at the Aurora History Museum.
