Much needed renovations to Civic Center Station have progressed steadily over the last 15 months, worsening congestion at the intersection of Colfax Avenue and Broadway.
But the pain should end in December, when the overhauled station opens, according to Nancy Kristof, a spokeswoman for Mortenson Construction which is leading the project with SEH architects.
The biggest clue that the project is nearing completion is the installation of a white fabric canopy that began Tuesday. It covers the boomerang shaped structure that will shelter the boarding area for the 16th Street Free MallRide, Kristof said Tuesday.
The fabric may look familiar, because it is. The same PTFE-coated fiberglass was used in the canopy designs for Union Station and Denver International Airport.
The look of the station is much more open than the former design, but functionally the station hasn’t changed much. The MallRide pickup circle and the bus bays underneath the building have increased in size. The most drastic differences are the size of the station and a lane that allows northbound buses to cut from Broadway to Lincoln Avenue without turning onto Colfax.
“Before it was dark and dingy, now there’s a lot more light,” Mortenson project manager Dave Espinosa said. “It doesn’t allow for people to loiter, RTD can keep an eye on things throughout and we’re getting three additional bus bays along the northbound street.”
